A report on California Trail

The California Trail led to the gold fields.
The exploration of the West by Jedediah Smith
John Bidwell
Western trails in Nebraska. The Mormon Trail is in blue; the Oregon and California Trails and the Pony Express route in red; an alternate Oregon/California route in dashed red; lesser-used trails in orange. The Platte River is between the Mormon and Oregon/California Trail. Fort Kearny is the black dot.
Chimney Rock, Nebraska
Scotts Bluff, Nebraska
Trail Ruts, Wyoming
The California Trail as it approaches Scotts Bluff from the east.
North Platte, Sweetwater Rivers across Wyoming
Independence Rock
The Sweetwater River at Devil's Gate, 1870
South Pass facing west toward Pacific Springs
Green River watershed
Map of the Bear River
Frederick W. Lander
An encampment on the Humboldt River, 1859. Digitally restored.
Humboldt River, Nevada
West Fork of the Carson River, just east of Hope Valley in Alpine County, California
Map of the Carson, Truckee, Humboldt River drainage system western Nevada
Donner Pass in the 1870s showing Dutch Flat wagon route improvements—made by Central Pacific Railroad.
A view of the South Fork of the Yuba River from the North Bloomfield Road bridge.
A waterfall on the South Fork Yuba River in South Yuba River State Park
View of the Sierra Nevada range and Sonora Peak looking northward from Sonora Pass.

Emigrant trail of about 1600 mi across the western half of the North American continent from Missouri River towns to what is now the state of California.

- California Trail
The California Trail led to the gold fields.

99 related topics with Alpha

Overall

Route of the Lewis and Clark expedition

Oregon Trail

40 links

2170 mi east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and emigrant trail in the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon.

2170 mi east–west, large-wheeled wagon route and emigrant trail in the United States that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon.

Route of the Lewis and Clark expedition
U.S. territorial acquisitionsportions of each territory were granted statehood since the 18th century.
The first Fort Laramie as it looked prior to 1840. Painting from memory by Alfred Jacob Miller
Breaking up Camp at Sunrise, by Alfred Jacob Miller
HBC's York Factory Express trade route, 1820s to 1840s. Modern political boundaries shown.
The Oregon Country/Columbia District stretched from 42'N to 54 40'N. The most heavily disputed portion is highlighted.
Trail ruts near Guernsey, Wyoming
Our Camp, by Alfred Jacob Miller
The exploration of the West by Jedediah Smith
Map of the Green River watershed
A wagon lashed to a raft for the last stage of the emigration.
The Central Route in Nevada
Covered wagon replica and Mission Monument at the Whitman Mission National Historic Site about ten miles west of Walla Walla, Washington
Oregon Trail pioneer Ezra Meeker erected this boulder near Pacific Springs on Wyoming's South Pass in 1906.
A bison bull on a Nebraska wildlife refuge
Chimney Rock, Nebraska
Map showing the Platte River watershed, including the North Platte and South Platte tributaries
Independence Rock
Prairie Scene: Mirage, by Alfred Jacob Miller
Storm: Waiting for the Caravan, by Alfred Jacob Miller
Goodale's Cutoff of the Oregon Trail at Lava Lake, west of Arco, ID and east of Carey, ID along US 26, 20, 93. Picture of current two track along section of the cutoff of the Oregon Trail.
View across top of Shoshone Falls, Snake River, Idaho (Timothy H. O'Sullivan, 1874)
One of Boise's 21 Oregon Trail monuments.
Present-day footpaths following ruts of the Oregon Trail near the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center east of Baker City, Oregon
Oregon Trail, painting by Albert Bierstadt, c. 1863
Oregon Trail reenactment at Scotts Bluff

The eastern half of the trail was also used by travelers on the California Trail (from 1843), Mormon Trail (from 1847), and Bozeman Trail (from 1863) before turning off to their separate destinations.

Route of the Mormon pioneers from Nauvoo to Great Salt Lake

Mormon Trail

20 links

1,300 mi long route from Illinois to Utah that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled for 3 months.

1,300 mi long route from Illinois to Utah that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled for 3 months.

Route of the Mormon pioneers from Nauvoo to Great Salt Lake
Mormon Battalion Trail Marker in Oatman Flats, Dateland, Arizona
Historic Information along the National Historic Trail
1859 map of route from Sioux City, Iowa, through Nebraska, to gold fields of Wyoming, following old Mormon trails.
Map of Mormon Trail
Daguerreotype of Nauvoo as it appeared at the time of the Mormon exodus.
Independence Rock, a site along the Mormon Trail.
Devil's Gate, a gorge on the Sweetwater River.
South Pass
Echo Canyon

From Council Bluffs, Iowa to Fort Bridger in Wyoming, the trail follows much the same route as the Oregon Trail and the California Trail; these trails are collectively known as the Emigrant Trail.

The ceremony for the driving of the
"Last Spike" at Promontory Summit, Utah,
May 10, 1869

First transcontinental railroad

15 links

1,911 mi continuous railroad line constructed between 1863 and 1869 that connected the existing eastern U.S. rail network at Council Bluffs, Iowa with the Pacific coast at the Oakland Long Wharf on San Francisco Bay.

1,911 mi continuous railroad line constructed between 1863 and 1869 that connected the existing eastern U.S. rail network at Council Bluffs, Iowa with the Pacific coast at the Oakland Long Wharf on San Francisco Bay.

The ceremony for the driving of the
"Last Spike" at Promontory Summit, Utah,
May 10, 1869
Title page of Dr. Hartwell Carver's 1847 Pacific Railroad proposal to Congress from Lake Michigan to the West Coast
The official poster announcing the Pacific Railroad's grand opening
Leland Stanford and the officers of the CPRR in 1870
Theodore Judah, architect of the transcontinental railroad and first chief engineer of the Central Pacific
Lewis M. Clement, Chief Assistant Engineer and Superintendent of Track
Leland Stanford's official gubernatorial portrait
Dr. Thomas C. Durant
Pacific Railroad Bond, City and County of San Francisco, 1865
Profile of the Pacific Railroad from Council Bluffs/Omaha to San Francisco. Harper's Weekly December 7, 1867
First Day Cover for the 75th Anniversary of the Driving of the Last Spike (May 10, 1944)
Route of the first American transcontinental railroad from Sacramento, California, to Council Bluffs, Iowa. Other railroads connected at Council Bluffs to cities throughout the East and Midwest.
Dale Creek Bridge
Central Pacific Railroad at Cape Horn c. 1880
1864 advertisement for the opening of the Dutch Flat Wagon Road
The CPRR grade at Donner Summit as it appeared in 1869 and 2003
The vertical central shaft of the CPRR "Summit Tunnel" (Tunnel #6) at Donner Summit which allowed drilling and excavation to be carried out on four faces at once
The Summit Tunnel at Donner Summit, West Portal (Composite image with the tracks removed in 1993 digitally restored)
CPRR-issued ticket for passage from Reno to Virginia City, NV on the V&TRR, 1878
The Jupiter, which carried Leland Stanford (one of the "Big Four" owners of the Central Pacific) and other railway officials to the Last Spike Ceremony
Chinese railroad workers greet a train on a snowy day.
CPRR Tunnel #3 near Cisco, California (MP 180.1) opened in 1866 and remains in daily use today.
Example of hand-drilled granite from within Tunnel #6, the "Summit Tunnel"
CPRR snow galleries allowed construction to continue in heavy snow (1868)
Grenville M. Dodge wearing a major general's uniform
The Last Spike by Thomas Hill (1881)
Golden spike, one of four ceremonial spikes driven at the completion
Display ads for the CPRR and UPRR the week the rails were joined on May 10, 1869
UPRR & CPRR "Great American Over-Land Route" Timetable cover 1881
Frontispiece of Crofutt's Great Trans-Continental Tourist's Guide, 1870
Oakes Ames
Poster for the film Union Pacific, released in May 1939
Transcontinental Railroad 75th Anniversary Issue stamp of 1944

After the rail line's initial climb through the Missouri River bluffs west of Omaha and out of the Missouri River Valley, the route bridged the Elkhorn River and then crossed over the new 1500 ft Loup River bridge as it followed the north side of the Platte River valley west through Nebraska along the general path of the Oregon, Mormon and California Trails.

Nevada

15 links

State in the Western region of the United States.

State in the Western region of the United States.

Mexico in 1824. Alta California included today's Nevada.
Sculpture representing a steam locomotive, in Ely, Nevada. Early locomotives played an important part in Nevada's mining industry.
Nevada territory in 1861
Mountains west of Las Vegas in the Mojave Desert
A valley near Pyramid Lake
Topographic map of Nevada
Little Finland rock formation in Nevada
Köppen climate types of Nevada, using 1991-2020 climate normals.
The Las Vegas Strip looking South
Carson City Mint in Carson City. Carson City is an independent city and the capital of Nevada.
Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Calico basin
Great Basin National Park
The quartzite of Doso Doyabi in Great Basin National Park
Valley of Fire State Park
Mount Charleston
Population density map of Nevada
The Winnemucca Sand Dunes, north of Winnemucca
Downtown Reno
East Las Vegas suburbs
Nevada quarter
MGM Grand, with sign promoting it as The City of Entertainment
Lake Tahoe on the Nevada–California border
Goldstrike (Post-Betze) Mine in the Carlin Trend, the largest Carlin-type deposit in the world, containing more than 35000000 ozt gold
Cattle near the Bruneau River in Elko County
Ranching in Washoe County
State route shield
U.S. Route50, also known as "The Loneliest Road in America"
The Nevada State Legislative Building in Carson City
The courthouse of the Supreme Court of Nevada
A map that details the federal land in southern Nevada, showing Nellis Air Force Base Complex and Nevada Test Site
Party registration by county (February 2021):

California National Historic Trail

Platte River

9 links

Major river in the State of Nebraska.

Major river in the State of Nebraska.

Platte River watershed with tributaries
Platte River near Ft. Kearny State Historical Site in Central Nebraska
Platte River valley west of Omaha, Nebraska
Encampment Along The Platte by Worthington Whittredge
Western trails in Nebraska. The Mormon Trail is in blue; the Oregon and California trails and the Pony Express route are in red; an alternate Oregon/California route in dashed red; lesser-used trails in orange. The Platte River is between the Mormon and Oregon/California trails. Fort Kearny is the black dot.
Every year hundreds of thousands of sandhill cranes congregate on the Platte River during their spring migration, forming large flocks that use the sandbars of the Platte River as a nighttime refuge before dispersing to local fields to feed during the day.
A great blue heron and immature bald eagle on the Platte River in Nebraska

The river valley played an important role in the westward expansion of the United States, providing the route for several major emigrant trails, including the Oregon, California, Mormon and Bozeman trails.

Routes of the California, Mormon and Oregon Trails west of the Rocky Mountains

Westward Expansion Trails

6 links

Alternative to sea and railroad transport.

Alternative to sea and railroad transport.

Routes of the California, Mormon and Oregon Trails west of the Rocky Mountains

Settlers emigrating from the eastern United States were spurred by various motives, among them religious persecution and economic incentives, to move to destinations in the far west via routes including the Oregon Trail, California Trail, and Mormon Trail.

Pony Express advertisement

Pony Express

8 links

American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders.

American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders.

Pony Express advertisement
Pony Express postmark, 1860, westbound
Pony Express Stables in St. Joseph, Missouri
The B.F. Hastings building in Sacramento, California, western terminus of the Pony Express
Pony Express Marker along the South Platte River in western Nebraska on US 30 (Lincoln Hwy)
This 25-cent stamp printed by Wells Fargo was canceled in Virginia City, Nevada, and used on a revived Pony Express run between there and Sacramento beginning in 1862.
Pony Express Stamp, 1860
800px
Stolen Pony Express mail. Notation on the cover reads "recovered from a mail stolen by the Indians in 1860" and bears a New York back stamp of May 3, 1862, the date when it was finally delivered in New York. The cover is also franked with the U.S. Postage issue of 1857, Washington, 10c black.
Pony Express riders: "Billy" Richardson, Johnny Fry, Charles Cliff, Gus Cliff
Antelope
William "Buffalo Bill" Cody
Robert "Pony Bob" Haslam in later years
Jack Keetley
Photo of Major Howard Egan c. 1860s.
Frank E. Webner, Pony Express rider c. 1861
The Mochila: detail from Pony Express stations map by William Henry Jackson
Mail from St. Joseph with a St. Joseph Pony Express postmark along with a city of destination postmark, San Francisco: The envelope also has an issue of 1855, Washington 10-cent postage affixed to it.
Pony Express statue in St. Joseph, Missouri

Beginning at St. Joseph, Missouri, the approximately 1900 mi route roughly followed the Oregon and California Trails to Fort Bridger in Wyoming, and then the Mormon Trail (known as the Hastings Cutoff) to Salt Lake City, Utah.

Map of southwestern Wyoming showing location of South Pass at the headwaters of the Sweetwater River

South Pass (Wyoming)

8 links

Collective term for two mountain passes on the American Continental Divide, in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Wyoming.

Collective term for two mountain passes on the American Continental Divide, in the Rocky Mountains in southwestern Wyoming.

Map of southwestern Wyoming showing location of South Pass at the headwaters of the Sweetwater River
Location of South Pass along the Oregon Trail
South Pass marker
Oregon Buttes - a wilderness study area on the Oregon Trail near South Pass City
Ezra Meeker erected this boulder near Pacific Springs in 1906 to mark the trail.

The historic pass became the route for emigrants on the Oregon, California, and Mormon trails to the West during the 19th century.

California

6 links

State in the Western United States.

State in the Western United States.

A map of California tribal groups and languages at the time of European contact
The coat of arms granted to the Californias by Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza
Mission San Diego de Alcalá drawn as it was in 1848. Established in 1769, it was the first of the California Missions.
Map showing Alta California in 1838, when it was a sparsely populated Mexican province
The flag used by Juan Bautista Alvarado's 1836 movement for Californian independence
The Russians from Alaska established their largest settlement in California, Fort Ross, in 1812.
The Bear Flag of the California Republic was first raised in Sonoma in 1846 during the Bear Flag Revolt.
Yokayo, a village of Pomo people in Ukiah (Mendocino County), c. 1916
Hollywood film studios, 1922
The "Birthplace of Silicon Valley" garage, where Stanford University graduates Bill Hewlett and David Packard developed their first product in the 1930s
A topographic map of California
Big Sur coast, south of Monterey at Bixby Bridge
Yosemite National Park
Cylindropuntia bigelovii in the Joshua Tree National Park
Köppen climate types in California
Death Valley, in the Mojave Desert
Five of the twenty largest wildfires in California history were part of the 2020 wildfire season.
A Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia) in Joshua Tree
A forest of redwood trees in Redwood National Park
Sea otter in Morro Bay, California
Mission San Diego de Alcalá, first of the Spanish missions in California
Sunset at Venice Beach
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum hosted the Summer Olympics in 1932 and 1984.
Torrance High School, one of the oldest high schools in continuous use in California
The University of California, Berkeley is the first and oldest campus of the UC system.
The Claremont Colleges east of L.A. include some of the most selective liberal arts colleges in the U.S.
A tree map depicting the distribution of occupations across California
Orange Grove outside of Santa Paula
The Googleplex in Mountain View, California, is the corporate headquarters of Google. Silicon Valley is a center for the global technology industry.
Economic regions of California
Moss Landing Power Plant, located on the coast of Monterey Bay
Solar Energy Generating Systems, located in the Mojave Desert
The Golden Gate Bridge
The Judge Harry Pregerson Interchange in Los Angeles, one of California's tall "stack" interchanges
Map of California showing the primary roadways
Amtrak California train in Pinole
Aerial view of the Delta–Mendota Canal (left) and the California Aqueduct, at the Interstate 205 crossing west of Tracy
California budget 2022-2023
The California State Capitol in Sacramento
Democrats Jerry Brown and Eric Garcetti. Brown served twice as Governor of California and Garcetti is currently serving as Mayor of Los Angeles.
California GDP by sector in 2017<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |title=SAGDP2N Gross domestic product (GDP) by state |url=https://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gdp-state |access-date=December 21, 2018 |publisher=Bureau of Economic Analysis}}</ref>
Had California been an independent country in 2021 its gross domestic product (nominal) would have been ranked fifth in the world.<ref>{{Cite web |title=5. Report for Selected Countries and Subjects |url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2016/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=69&pr.y=15&sy=2018&ey=2018&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=512%2C672%2C914%2C946%2C612%2C137%2C614%2C546%2C311%2C962%2C213%2C674%2C911%2C676%2C193%2C548%2C122%2C556%2C912%2C678%2C313%2C181%2C419%2C867%2C513%2C682%2C316%2C684%2C913%2C273%2C124%2C868%2C339%2C921%2C638%2C948%2C514%2C943%2C218%2C686%2C963%2C688%2C616%2C518%2C223%2C728%2C516%2C558%2C918%2C138%2C748%2C196%2C618%2C278%2C624%2C692%2C522%2C694%2C622%2C142%2C156%2C449%2C626%2C564%2C628%2C565%2C228%2C283%2C924%2C853%2C233%2C288%2C632%2C293%2C636%2C566%2C634%2C964%2C238%2C182%2C662%2C359%2C960%2C453%2C423%2C968%2C935%2C922%2C128%2C714%2C611%2C862%2C321%2C135%2C243%2C716%2C248%2C456%2C469%2C722%2C253%2C942%2C642%2C718%2C643%2C724%2C939%2C576%2C644%2C936%2C819%2C961%2C172%2C813%2C132%2C199%2C646%2C733%2C648%2C184%2C915%2C524%2C134%2C361%2C652%2C362%2C174%2C364%2C328%2C732%2C258%2C366%2C656%2C734%2C654%2C144%2C336%2C146%2C263%2C463%2C268%2C528%2C532%2C923%2C944%2C738%2C176%2C578%2C534%2C537%2C536%2C742%2C429%2C866%2C433%2C369%2C178%2C744%2C436%2C186%2C136%2C925%2C343%2C869%2C158%2C746%2C439%2C926%2C916%2C466%2C664%2C112%2C826%2C111%2C542%2C298%2C967%2C927%2C443%2C846%2C917%2C299%2C544%2C582%2C941%2C474%2C446%2C754%2C666%2C698%2C668&s=NGDPD&grp=0&a= |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323111307/https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2016/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=69&pr.y=15&sy=2018&ey=2018&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=512%2C672%2C914%2C946%2C612%2C137%2C614%2C546%2C311%2C962%2C213%2C674%2C911%2C676%2C193%2C548%2C122%2C556%2C912%2C678%2C313%2C181%2C419%2C867%2C513%2C682%2C316%2C684%2C913%2C273%2C124%2C868%2C339%2C921%2C638%2C948%2C514%2C943%2C218%2C686%2C963%2C688%2C616%2C518%2C223%2C728%2C516%2C558%2C918%2C138%2C748%2C196%2C618%2C278%2C624%2C692%2C522%2C694%2C622%2C142%2C156%2C449%2C626%2C564%2C628%2C565%2C228%2C283%2C924%2C853%2C233%2C288%2C632%2C293%2C636%2C566%2C634%2C964%2C238%2C182%2C662%2C359%2C960%2C453%2C423%2C968%2C935%2C922%2C128%2C714%2C611%2C862%2C321%2C135%2C243%2C716%2C248%2C456%2C469%2C722%2C253%2C942%2C642%2C718%2C643%2C724%2C939%2C576%2C644%2C936%2C819%2C961%2C172%2C813%2C132%2C199%2C646%2C733%2C648%2C184%2C915%2C524%2C134%2C361%2C652%2C362%2C174%2C364%2C328%2C732%2C258%2C366%2C656%2C734%2C654%2C144%2C336%2C146%2C263%2C463%2C268%2C528%2C532%2C923%2C944%2C738%2C176%2C578%2C534%2C537%2C536%2C742%2C429%2C866%2C433%2C369%2C178%2C744%2C436%2C186%2C136%2C925%2C343%2C869%2C158%2C746%2C439%2C926%2C916%2C466%2C664%2C112%2C826%2C111%2C542%2C298%2C967%2C927%2C443%2C846%2C917%2C299%2C544%2C582%2C941%2C474%2C446%2C754%2C666%2C698%2C668&s=NGDPD&grp=0&a= |archive-date=March 23, 2019 |access-date=December 15, 2018}}</ref>
Köppen climate types in California
A topographic map of California
The famous Tunnel tree at Yosemite National Park in May of 2022
Death Valley, in the Mojave Desert

These new arrivals used the Siskiyou Trail, California Trail, Oregon Trail and Old Spanish Trail to cross the rugged mountains and harsh deserts in and surrounding California.

Fort Bridger

Fort Bridger

5 links

Originally a 19th-century fur trading outpost established in 1842, on Blacks Fork of the Green River, in what is now Uinta County, Wyoming, United States.

Originally a 19th-century fur trading outpost established in 1842, on Blacks Fork of the Green River, in what is now Uinta County, Wyoming, United States.

Fort Bridger
Fort Bridger, 1850.
Fort Bridger, 1858. By Samuel C. Mills, photographer with the Simpson Expedition.
Map of the Pony Express Route in 1860 by William Henry Jackson ~ courtesy the Library of Congress

It became a vital resupply point for wagon trains on the Oregon Trail, California Trail, and Mormon Trail.