Hasting Pass Traditional Cache

Much has been recorded about the tragic events suffered by the members of the Donner-Reed Party at Donner Lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This article is not meant to rehearse the events of their tragedies at Donner Lake in 1846. Instead, it will make an honest attempt to tell about some of the main difficulties encountered after they entered Utah, which in turn, was responsible for their late arrival to the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and their terrible winter of suffering and cannibalism.

It was near the end of July 1846 when the wagon caravan reached a point on the Little Sandy, a branch of the Green River in Wyoming. There the Oregon Trail makes its bend towards the Northwest. This became known as the “Parting of the Ways,” for at this point the Donner-Reed group decided to follow the Lansford Hasting “Cut Off ” that was supposed to shave two to three weeks off the trek to California.

On Aug. 3, 1846 the Donner-Reed Party arrived at the Weber River Crossing, now the present site of Henefer, Utah. Here they found a note from Hasting that was stuck in the cleft of a tree. He advised them to wait there for his return and not to go down Weber Canyon, because it was almost impassable.

Reed, with two companions, set out to find Hasting. They found him by the south shore of the Great Salt Lake. Hasting, not waiting for the party as he promised, caused a week delay. He refused to return but gave them instructions on the route to follow.

The party started up what today is called East Canyon, and past the area now known as East Canyon Reservoir. This is where their real trouble began. After about three weeks of hard, discouraging labor of cutting through obstacles, they finally, by attaching four, six and at times eight yoke of oxen to each of the heavily laden wagons, reached the summit. This summit is now known as “Big Mountain,” or “Donner-Reed Pass.”

Take in mind these pioneers were entirely on their own. Not one of them had ever seen the country. They had to pick their route each day, trying to determine which mountain, which pass, or canyon to follow. This had to be a tiring and discouraging trial. Here they made a big error: they thought going down the big canyon in front of them (today’s Parleys Canyon), would be their best route. But after several more days they found the canyon impassable, and, returned towards Big Mountain. Eventually, they made their way down over the ridges and through what is now known as Immigration Canyon.

The Donner-Reed Party camped on the banks of the Jordan River near the Utah State Fair Grounds on Sept. 2, 1846. At this time the party consisted of 87 members from six states, two foreign countries, with Illinois furnishing more than half of the party membership. Of this group 39 would die and 48 would survive.

Not much difficulty was encountered crossing the Salt Lake Valley around the Oquirrh Mountains and past Black Rock Beach into Tooele Valley. Their next campsite was at “Twenty Wells,” a series of small pot hole springs located about one mile northwest from today’s Grantsville. From this site they traveled around the north end of the Stansbury Mountains, then 15 miles south into Skull Valley to Kanaka Springs. In 1889 this site became Iosepa, the settling place for the Hawaiian converts to the Mormon Church.

At Kanaka Springs the immigrants had been instructed by Hasting to lay in an ample supply of water and feed for their oxen. After resting and storing all the water they could, they headed across Skull Valley (then named Spring Valley by Hastings) and stopped at Reden Springs, located on the east slope of the Cedar Mountain Range. Afterward, they began to ascend Hasting’s Pass.

From the top of the pass they could see Pilot Peak toward the western horizon. That would be their next stop for water. They estimated the distance to be 35 to 45 miles, which they considered could be easily traveled in two days. But in reality the distance was over 70 miles. This trip would prove to be their greatest test before reaching the Sierra Mountains.

By the end of the third day their water supplies were gone, and both animals and people were on the verge of perishing. By this time they had reached the edge of the Mud Flat, about 20 miles from Pilot Peak Spring. The oxen could go no further without water, so the pioneers unhitched the oxen from the wagons to take them to water, and then bring them back for the wagons. But many of the oxen and cattle, wild from thirst, ran off and were never found.

As the party moved across the mud flat, wheels had to be scrapped clean every few turns because the mud was soft and sticky. Some wagons were abandoned as oxen dropped in their tracks. Prized pieces of furniture and personal belongings were removed from wagons to make the loads lighter.

When the party finally reached Pilot Springs, both people and animals were so spent they stayed for several days before continuing. Just a few miles north the mud flat is narrower and harder. If the party had known this their crossing would have been easier.

Before they departed from their Pilot Mountain camp, the party took an inventory of their stock and supplies. This revealed their food supply was entirely insufficient to carry them through to California, even when granting that they might encounter no prolonged delays. Sutter’s Fort, now in Sacramento, CA., was the only possible source from which needed supplies could be obtained.

The cache is a small 1 qt round Lock-n-Lock at the base of a tree. It is located up the hill from the dirt road at the pass. There is parking at the pass, on a trail headed south. For information on how to get here, review the information provided on other local caches (as this page is getting long enough). It is not recommended for low clearance cars as the road is not as well maintained above the quarries. You can make it in a car, if you watch the rocks in the road. The day I placed the cache, I did pass up a mountain biker coming up hill.

The cache contains just a log book and 2 pens. There is an unactivated 2006 Utah UTAG Geocoin (with activation code) as a FTF prize. When visiting the cache, reflect on the fact that many wagon trains headed to California passed though this pass, and not just the Donner-Reid party.