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 Hastings Cutoff - Muddy Creek Posted by:  brwhiz
N 41° 16.479 W 110° 36.000
12T E 533500 N 4569323
This marker is very easy to miss due to its small size and the fact that you approach it end on.
Waymark Code: WM9WD8
Location: Wyoming, United States
Date Posted: 10/05/2010
Views: 11
The marker is inscribed:
Hastings Cutoff - Muddy Creek
"At three o'clock p.m. we crossed Muddy Creek, a beautiful clear stream of water with a pebbly bottom, and camped on the west side after traveling 3 miles during the day ... we had a pretty campground... The brethren sang hymns for the President; it was a delightful evening."
Thomas Bullock, July 9, 1847
Road of Trail Name: California Trail
State: Wyoming
County: Uinta
Historical Significance:
There was good water and plenty of grass, and the animals were well-fed by the tall bunch-grass growing along the creek. It was an ideal campsite, and a popular one. 70,000 Mormon pioneers crossed, passed through, or camped at Muddy Creek. In the summer of 1847, it was used by Brigham Young’s first group of Mormon pioneers. 2,000 men of the U.S. army camped here in June of 1858. The original Transcontinental Railroad bed passed through in 1869. The site even played host to the Muddy Overland Stage Stop and Pony Express Station. And you can still see the ghost town of Piedmont and its famed charcoal kilns, monuments to the Western Migration and its people.
Years in use: 20
How you discovered it:
I was looking for the Daughters of Utah Pioneers historical marker for the Muddy Creek Crossing. As I was traveling the gravel road south, something unusual caught my eye. At first it just looked like a steel post because I was viewing the top rail end on. As I passed I noticed something shiny on the side of the rail and stopped to investigate. I am interested in all of the emigrant trails through Wyoming as they are filled with so much history and adventure.
Website Explination:
http://www.octa-trails.org/index.php
Why?:
The California Trail was one of the great emigrant trails of the middle 1800's. In many places it coincided with the Mormon Pioneer Trail, the Oregon Trail, and the Pony Express Route. The California Trail was used primarily by people headed to the California Gold Rush.
Directions:
From Interstate 80 between Fort Bridger and Evanston Wyoming, take Exit 24 southbound for County Road 173 (Piedmont Road). Travel 3.0 miles to the marker, keeping a sharp eye on the right side of the road for the last few hundred yards. The marker is about 20 to 30 feet off the west side of the road.
Book on Wagon Road or Trial: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
To post a log for this Waymark the poster must have a picture of either themselves, GPSr, or mascot. People in the picture with information about the waymark are preferred. If the waymarker can not be in the picture a picture of their GPSr or mascot will qualify. There are no exceptions to this rule.
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