 Technology for navigating across Wyoming has come a long way. I have a smartphone that gives me turn-by-turn directions to help me get to my destination. I also have a car GPS navigation system that will do the same thing. I used to use a Wyoming roadmap. 150 years ago, when immigrants were moving across the Oregon Trail, they didn't have all this fancy technology. Instead, they used landmarks. There were three distinctive landmarks to help guide travelers across the Sweetwater Valley. Independence Rock, Devil's Gate, and Split Rock. Split Rock is a distinctive gun-site notch that rises 1,000 feet in the air. It helped aim immigrants toward South Pass more than 75 miles away. This landmark is one of few along the Oregon Trail that can be seen for days. Split Rock Station is located a short distance west of Split Rock between Cranor Rock and the South Bank of the Sweetwater River in what is now a Hay Meadow. It served as a Pony Express Station, Stage Station, and Telegraph Station in the 1860s. Next time you're driving along the highway near Muddy Gap, you'll probably notice Split Rock jutting into the sky. This may help guide you to your destination as it has for many others for centuries. From the University of Wyoming Extension, I'm Mae Smith, Exploring the Nature of Wyoming.