Register Rock - American Falls, ID
Posted by: 
linkys
N 42° 39.160 W 113° 01.020
12T E 334672 N 4724216
Quick Description: A large boulder on which immigrants traveling the Oregon-California Trail wrote their names.
Location: Idaho, United States
Date Posted: 11/9/2009 8:14:44 AM
Waymark Code: WM7MFJ
Views: 1
Long Description:
The area where Register Rock is located was one of the more
popular camp sites along the Oregon-California trail due to a creek
emptying into the Snake River at this location, thus providing
better forage for the animals.
Along the trail it was common for emigrants to leave their mark
where ever they could, and it just happened that the prehistoric
Bonneville Flood had left a large rounded rock right in the middle
of this area. Their drawings, initials, names and dates inscribed
upon this rock is what today is known as Register Rock.
Many names have been obliterated over the years, but some
actually chiseled their names into the rocks. Some of those have
been lost through erosion through the years but you can still see
quite a few names. With the rock now protected with a covering and
fenced off, maybe they will survive for future generations to
see.
On a small, difficult to read sign nearby is the following:
"After their meals were cooked and their livestock grazed, early
pioneers took time to record their presence on this and other rocks
in the area. The land around Register rock was a common camping
area along the Oregon and California trails. It has been preserved
by the Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation so that the modern
visitor may enjoy a landmark of the past."