Emigrant Gap

Location: emigrant Gap is located along the northern trail variation about 10 miles west of Mills. Emigrant Gap can be accessed from Stop No. 8 (Bessemer Bend) by following County Road 308 west then north to Poison Spider Road; turn right (east) following Poison Spider Road about three miles to the site, where there is a Bureau of Land Management interpretive pullout. Emigrant Gap can also be reached from Mills. From Route 20-26; turn southwest onto Poison Spider Road, follow road for about 10.2 miles to the interpretive pullout.

Wagon

History: At present-day Casper, the Oregon Trail briefly divided into three routes. Many pioneers followed the more northerly route, passing through Emigrant Gap after crossing the North Platte river via the ferries or bridges in the vicinity of present-day Casper. The two southern variations followed the north and south banks of the North Platte River; emigrants who stayed on the south bank crossed at Bessemer Bend (Stop No. 8). Some of those who had crossed the river near Casper followed the north bank, rejoining the south bank emigrants at Bessemer Bend. By the 1850s, most of the emigrants took advantage of the ferries and bridges down river rather than fording the river at Bessemer Bend/Red Buttes and utilized the most northern route. The Bessemer Bend route therefore fell into disuse due to alternative safer crossing points, and most of the emigrant traffic passed through Emigrant Gap. The two routes converge about eight miles to the west.

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Stop 1 Oregon Trail Burial - Quintina Snoderly · Stop 2 Edness Kimball Wilkins State Park · Stop 3 Richard's (Reshaw's) Bridge and Trading Post · Stop 4 Mormon Ferry, Probable Second Site · Stop 5 Mormon Ferry, Probable First Site · Stop 6 Fort Caspar · Stop 7 Battle of Red Buttes · Stop 8 Bessemer Bend/Red Buttes Crossing · Stop 9 Emigrant Gap · Stop 10 Avenue of Rocks/Devil's Backbone/Clayton's Slough · Stop 11 Willow Springs · Stop 12 Prospect Hill/Ryan Hill · Stop 13 Horse Creek (Greasewood) · Stop 14 Saleratus (Playa) Lake/Sweetwater Pony Express Station · Stop 15 Independence Rock · Stop 16 Devil's Gate · Stop 17 Martin's Cove · Stop 18 Split Rock

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