Last updated: February 2, 2024
Place
Craters of the Moon, the Oregon Trail
Quick Facts
Location:
Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve
Significance:
An alternative route on the Oregon Trail
Designation:
National Monument and Preserve
History
A Safer Alternative
The Oregon Trail followed the course of the Snake River, about 100 miles south of the monument. In 1852, John Jeffrey began promoting a spur trail which traced traditional Shoshone migration routes. He wanted to generate business for his ferry at the mouth of the Blackfoot River. Although the cutoff received some use from 1852-1854, it was not until a decade later that a large percentage of Oregon Trail traffic chose the route.
In 1862, an emigrant party asked guide Tim Goodale to lead them west from Fort Hall on the cutoff pioneered by Jeffrey. They hoped the alternate trail would enable them to reach the Salmon River gold fields more directly. Goodale succeeded in leading a group of 1,095 people, 338 wagons, and 2,900 head of stock safely from Fort Hall to Boise. It took this enormous wagon train -- the largest to travel any section of the Oregon Trail -- over 3 hours to get into or out of camp.
By 1862, the Northern Shoshone and Bannock tribes were beginning to resist the intrusion of emigrants into their homeland. Skirmishes occurred between the Shoshone and emigrants near Massacre Rocks State Park. The growing hostility along the trail resulted in increased demand for a safe alternative. In 1863, seven out of every ten wagons en route from Fort Hall to Boise took Goodale's Cutoff instead of the main Oregon Trail.
Skirting the Lava Flows
The 230-mile spur headed north from Fort Hall toward Big Southern Butte, a conspicuous landmark on the Snake River Plain. From there it passed near the present-day town of Arco, wound through the northern part of Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve, went southwest to Camas Prairie, and ended at Fort Boise. This journey typically took two to three weeks.
Goodale's Cutoff took its toll on the travelers and their wagons. The rugged lava restricted travel to one lane, so progress was slow.
The path along the edge of the lava flows was circuitous. The emigrants typically passed through in late July, the hottest part of the summer. Wood dried out in the desert air and shrank, causing wheels and boxes to come apart. Pioneers wrote of finding pieces of broken wagons littering the trail.
For nearly 50 years, westward-bound pioneers used Goodale's Cutoff. Later, miners moving ore to railroad depots and stagecoaches carrying passengers to the towns of southern Idaho took the route. But the advent of the railroad and automobile led to the demise of Goodale's Cutoff as a wagon route. Today those driving US-20, which follows sections of the route, need not concern themselves with survival and can take time to appreciate the unique beauty of the harsh landscape.
Site Information
Location: Goodale's Cutoff is visible at many points along Highway 20/26/93 between Arco and Carey.
- The route winds through the northern end of the monument out of sight of the road and intersects the highway 3.5 miles west of the visitor center. From that point on, watch for the dirt road as it follows the edge of the lava flows north of the highway.
- The cutoff is particularly easy to pick out 5.7 miles west of the visitor center, where the road drops down a steep incline. Look to the slope north of the road, where several earlier routes through this notch are visible. The highest road is Goodale's Cutoff.
- At Lava Lake, 11.3 miles west of the visitor center, there is a historical marker which describes Goodale's Cutoff.
Goodale's Cutoff is not accessible by car within Craters of the Moon. Check at the visitor center for more information on where to see the trail.