Save South Pass

South Pass, Wyoming is the gap through the Rocky Mountains that saw over 500,000 emigrants pass through on their way to settle the Oregon Territory, strike out for religious freedom in Utah, or pan for riches in California. Pony Express riders used the pass to carry mail from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California. The pass is home to increasingly rare animals, most notably the sage grouse. Congress has designated the four east-west trails through the pass as National Historic Trails. The Oregon, Mormon Pioneer, California, and Pony Express National Historic Trails work together to tell the story of how the United States became a coast-to-coast nation. And today, you can also hike through the pass from north to south along the Canada-to-Mexico Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. Much of the area has never been developed and it appears much as it did in the 1840s, 1850s, and 1860s. Over 10,000 graves line these historic trails, making South Pass a sacred site. But like much of the American West, South Pass is constantly under threat of development. Join with the Oregon-California Trails Association to ensure that South Pass remains as pristine as possible so that we can continue to honor our past and preserve wide open spaces of historic importance for future generations. Visit us at www.octa-trails.org to learn more.

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