Mormon Road

Route of the Mormon Road 1849–1851
From the Mormon Waybill,
Distances between stops from Temple block, Salt Lake City[1][2]
Settlements established after 1851 in italics.
Location Distance
Willow Creek, Utah Territory
Sivogah, South Willow Creek (1849–1854)
Draperville(1854– ) 		20.625 mi (33.193 km)
Summit of Ridge between Utah
and Salt Lake Valleys, Utah Territory[3] 		4.875 mi (7.846 km)
American Creek, Utah Territory
Lake City (1852–1860)
American Fork (1860– ) 		9.25 mi (14.89 km)
Provo River, Utah Territory
Fort Utah (1849–1850)
Provo City(1850– ) 		11.5 mi (18.5 km)
Hobble Creek, Utah Territory
Hobble Creek (1850–1853)
Springville(1853– ) 		7.25 mi (11.67 km)
Spanish Fork (river), Utah Territory
Spanish Fork (1851– ) 		6 mi (9.7 km)
Peteetneet Creek, Utah Territory
Peteetneet (1850–1853)
Payson (1853– ) 		5 mi (8.0 km)
Salt Creek, Utah Territory
Salt Creek (1851–1882)
Nephi (1882– ) 		25 mi (40 km)
Toola Creek, Utah Territory
Chicken Creek (1864–1876) 		18.625 mi (29.974 km)
Sevier River Crossing, Utah Territory
Sevier River 		6.25 mi (10.06 km)
Cedar Creek, Utah Territory
Cedar Springs(1855–1864)
Holden (1864– ) 		25.5 mi (41.0 km)
3rd Creek south of Sevier River, Utah Territory[4]
Fillmore (1851– ) 		10.0 mi (16.1 km)[5]
4th Creek south of Sevier River, Utah Territory[6]
Meadow Creek (1857–1864)
Meadow (1864– ) 		8.0 mi (12.9 km)

[7]

Willow Flats, Utah Territory
Corn Creek Indian Farm (1854–1867)
Petersburg (1859–1868)
Petersburgh (1870–1877)
Hatton (1877–1940) 		3.625 mi (5.834 km)[8]
Emigrant Spring, Utah Territory[9]
Willden Fort (1860–1865)
Cove Fort (1867– ) 		23.0 mi (37.0 km)[10]
Sage Creek, Utah Territory[11] 22.25 mi (35.81 km)
Beaver Creek, Utah Territory
Greenville (1861– )[12] 		5.125 mi (8.248 km)
North Canyon Creek, Utah Territory[13] 27.25 mi (43.85 km)
2nd Creek, Utah Territory[14]
Paragonah (1851– ) 		5.375 mi (8.650 km)
3rd Creek, Utah Territory[15]
Parowan (1851– ) 		6.375 mi (10.260 km)[16]
Cottonwood Creek, Utah Territory[17]
Johnson Springs (1851– ) 		12.875 mi (20.720 km)
Cedar Springs, Utah Territory[18] 9 mi (14 km)
Pynte Creek, Utah Territory[19] 23 mi (37 km)
Road Springs, Utah Territory[20]
Meadow Canyon, Mountain Meadow 		9 mi (14 km)
Santa Clara River, Utah Territory[21]
Gunlock (1857– ) 		16 mi (26 km)
Camp Springs, Utah Territory[22] 17.125 mi (27.560 km)
Rio Virgin, New Mexico Territory[23]
at Beaver Dam Wash
Littlefield (1865– ) 		22.875 mi (36.814 km)
Rio Virgin, New Mexico Territory[24]
at Virgin Hill
East end of Mormon Mesa Cutoff 		39.625 mi (63.770 km)
Muddy Creek, New Mexico Territory[25]
at California Wash
West end of Mormon Mesa Cutoff, California Crossing 		19.625 mi (31.583 km)
Las Vegas Wash, New Mexico Territory[26] 52.625 mi (84.692 km)
Las Vegas Springs, New Mexico Territory[27]
Fort Las Vegas (1855–1857)
Las Vegas Rancho (1865–1902)
Las Vegas (1902– ) 		5 mi (8.0 km)
Cottonwood Spring, New Mexico Territory[28] 17 mi (27 km)
Cottonwood Grove, New Mexico Territory[29] 29.75 mi (47.88 km)
Resting Springs, California[30] 21.75 mi (35.00 km)
Willow Spring, California[31]
on the Amargosa River 		7 mi (11 km)
Salt Spring, California[32] 14.125 mi (22.732 km)
Bitter Spring, California[33] 38.75 mi (62.36 km)
Mojave River, California[34]
Fork of the Road, (junction with Mohave Trail)
Alcorn Ranch (1864–1866)
Hawley’s Station (1866–1882) 		18.75 mi (30.18 km)[35]
Last Ford on the Mojave, California[36]
Lane's (1859–1865)
Oro Grande (1881– ) 		51.5 mi (82.9 km)
Cahoon Pass, California[37]
Coyote Canyon (1848–1850)
Hogback Cutoff (1851–1855)
Sanford Cutoff (1855–1861)
Cajon Pass Toll Road (1861– ) 		17 mi (27 km)
? Camp, California[38] 10 mi (16 km)
Coco Mongo Ranch, California 11.5 mi (18.5 km)
Del Chino Ranch, California[39] 10 mi (16 km)
San Gabriel River, California 19.375 mi (31.181 km)
San Gabriel Mission, California
San Gabriel (1852– ) 		6 mi (9.7 km)
Pueblo de Los Ángeles, California
Los Angeles (1850– ) 		6 mi (9.7 km)
San Pedro, California[40] 23.00 mi (37.01 km)

Mormon Road, also known to the 49ers as the Southern Route, of the California Trail in the Western United States, was a seasonal wagon road pioneered by a Mormon party from Salt Lake City, Utah led by Jefferson Hunt, that followed the route of Spanish explorers and the Old Spanish Trail across southwestern Utah, northwestern Arizona, southern Nevada and the Mojave Desert of California to Los Angeles in 1847. From 1855, it became a military and commercial wagon route between California and Utah, called the Los Angeles – Salt Lake Road. In later decades this route was variously called the "Old Mormon Road", the "Old Southern Road", or the "Immigrant Road" in California. In Utah, Arizona and Nevada it was known as the "California Road".

  1. ^ LeRoy Reuben Hafen, Ann Woodbury Hafen, Journals of Forty-niners: Salt Lake to Los Angeles: with Diaries and Contemporary Records of Sheldon Young, James S. Brown, Jacob Y. Stover, Charles C. Rich, Addison Pratt, Howard Egan, Henry W. Bigler, and Others, U of Nebraska Press, 1954, pp. 321–24 Mormon Waybill, Joseph Cain and A. C. Brower, Salt Lake City, 1851. Road distances from readings of roadometer attached to the wagon of Addison Pratt of the 1849 Jefferson Hunt Wagon Train.
  2. ^ Randolph Barnes Marcy, The Prairie Traveler. A Hand-Book for Overland Expeditions. With Maps, Illustrations, and Itineraries of the Principal Routes Between the Mississippi and the Pacific. Published by Authority of the ard Department, 1859; Itinerary VI. From Great Salt Lake City to Los Angeles and San Francisco, California. from the Kansas Collection website accessed 05/22/2015
  3. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Point of the Mountain, at an elevation of 5,079 feet / 1,548 meters, location: 40°27′13″N 111°54′38″W / 40.45361°N 111.91056°W / 40.45361; -111.91056
  4. ^ The third stream crossed south of the Sevier River, is now called Chalk Creek.
  5. ^ Leroy R. Hafen and Ann W. Hafen, eds., Journals of Forty-Niners: Salt Lake to Los Angeles (Glendale, CA: Arthur H. Clark Co., 1954), p. 64, note 25
  6. ^ This is the fourth stream south of the Sevier River. Road crosses two streams. Prairie Traveler
  7. ^ 18.0 miles from Cedar Creek, 8 miles from Chalk Creek. Hafen, Journals of Forty-Niners, p. 64 note 27
  8. ^ 4 miles from Meadow Creek. Hafen, Journals of Forty-Niners, p. 64 note 27
  9. ^ Mormon Waybill – Spring – Good grass and water.
  10. ^ Hafen, Journals of Forty-niners: Salt Lake to Los Angeles. Distances quoted for October 16th by several members of the 1849 Hunt Wagon Train, between Willow Flat and Emigrant Spring, (later site of Cove Fort) in Cove Creek Valley: given by Sheldon Young Journal, October 16th, p. 65, 21 miles. Distance given by Addison Pratt Diary, October 16th, p. 73, 23 miles. Distance given by Charles Rich Journal, October 16th, p. 182, 22 miles. 1851 Mormon Waybill, 25 miles. However Pratt towed the roadometer and recorded all measurements, so presumably the Waybill figure based on Pratt's measurements, is a typographical error by the printer.
  11. ^ Mormon Waybill – Wood, food poor. Later renamed Indian Creek, from the original Sage Creek. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Indian Creek
  12. ^ Greenville was built on the site of the original crossing of the road before 1855 when the road was realigned to cross upriver at the location of modern Beaver, Utah.
  13. ^ Marcy, Prairie Traveler, 1859. "In Little Salt Lake Valley. Good grass; no wood. The road is rough and steep for six miles. Camp located near Wheatgrass, Utah.
  14. ^ Mormon Waybill – Good wood, water, and grass.
  15. ^ Mormon Waybill – "Good wood, water, and grass."
  16. ^ 6.75 miles Hafen, Journals, p. 322
  17. ^ Mormon Waybill – "... good feed and water."
  18. ^ Mormon Waybill – "Coal Creek, bad to cross, wood plenty food short, Good camp". The road crossed Coal Creek midway across the valley between Johnson Springs and Cedar Springs. Marshy and wooded it was difficult to cross with wagons at that point. When Cedar City was established on the upper reach of Coal Creek in 1851, the road was diverted to the easy crossing there and then proceeded across the valley to Iron springs, a longer route but less arduous.
  19. ^ Mormon Waybill – "Good grass one mile up the canyon." Pynte Creek, now Pinto Creek, was originally called Pyute Creek for the natives that lived along it. The name changed in the Mormon Waybill, and may be the result of a dyslexic typesetter turning the "u" upside down. Subsequently the name was copied and popularized by Marcy's Prairie Traveler.
  20. ^ Mormon Waybill – "Road is rough; good camp."
  21. ^ Mormon Waybill – "Road descending and rough; poor grass."
  22. ^ Mormon Waybill – "Two miles before reaching the springs the road leaves the Santa Clara. Good grass."
  23. ^ Mormon Waybill – "Road crosses over the summit of a mountain. Good road; grass poor." This section of the road reached the Virgin River at Beaver Dam Wash, just where Littlefield, Arizona is today.
  24. ^ Mormon Waybill – "Road runs down the Rio Virgin, crossing it ten times. Grass good down the river." Camp at the river crossing just below Virgin Hill, where the trail up to the top of Mormon Mesa begins.
  25. ^ Mormon Waybill – "Road for half a mile is very steep and sandy. Good camp."
  26. ^ Mormon Waybill – "Good camp – Water is sometimes found 2 1/2 miles west of the road in holes 23 miles from the Muddy, and some grass about a mile from the road."
  27. ^ Mormon Waybill – On Vagas Wash – "Road runs up the river. Good grass."
  28. ^ Mormon Waybill – "Poor grass."
  29. ^ Mormon Waybill – "No grass. Water and grass can be found four miles west by following the old Spanish trail to a ravine, and thence to the left in the ravine one mile."
  30. ^ Mormon Waybill – "Good grass and water. Animals should be rested here before entering the desert."
  31. ^ Mormon Waybill – "The spring is on the left of the road, and flows into Saleratus Creek. Animals must not be allowed to drink the Saleratus water."
  32. ^ Mormon Waybill – "Poor grass and no fresh water."
  33. ^ Mormon Waybill – "Good road; poor grass."
  34. ^ Mormon Waybill – "Good road and good grass."
  35. ^ This measurement was wrong, it is about 12 miles to Impassable Pass from Bitter Spring, and 18 miles from the pass to Fork of the Road.
  36. ^ Mormon Waybill – "Last ford. Good grass all the way up the Mojave."
  37. ^ Mormon Waybill – "At the summit."
  38. ^ Mormon Waybill – "Road bad down the canon." The bad road was down Crowder Canyon. Once only the route of pack horse trains in single file, the first wagons had difficulty passing down the old horse trail, rocks had to be moved, trail widened or the wagons taken apart and carried over intractable obstructions. Soon an alternate and marginally less difficult route was found on a steep hogback to the west and a passable road built nearby to the west of the hogback in 1855 called the Sanford Cutoff between Baldy Mesa and upper Cajon Canyon. Later, in 1861, as a result of the Holcomb Valley gold rush, the difficult but shorter, Crowder Canyon route was made into a good road and a toll charged.
  39. ^ Mormon Waybill – "Williams".
  40. ^ Distance between Los Angeles and the anchorage at San Pedro is from Itinerary XX. Captain Whipple's Route from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to San Pedro, California, in Marcy, Randolph Barnes, The Prairie Traveler. A hand-book for overland expedition, Harper & Brothers, New York, 1861. p. 331 from archive.org accessed October 31, 2015