Meek Cutoff was a horse trail road that branched off the Oregon Trail in northeastern Oregon and was used as an alternate emigrant route to the Willamette Valley in the mid-19th century. The road was named for frontiersman Stephen Meek , who was hired to lead the first wagon train along it in 1845. The journey was a particularly hard one, and many of the pioneers lost their lives.
39-908: Starting where the Oregon Trail leaves the Snake River Plain and heads northwest toward the Columbia River Gorge (the general route of modern Interstate 84 ), Meek's party intended to instead head west across the Oregon High Desert , straight to the Willamette Valley. They left the main trail at Vale, Oregon and followed the Malheur River to head into the Harney Basin . They then turned west towards Wagontire Mountain and northwest to
78-663: A moisture channel extending from the Pacific Ocean to Yellowstone. Moisture from the Pacific Ocean streams onshore in the form of clouds and humid air. It passes through the gap between the Sierra and Cascades and into the Snake River Plain where it is channeled through most of the Rocky Mountains with no high plateaus or mountain ranges to impede its progress. It finally encounters upslope conditions at
117-475: A letter written to her sister in Ohio: We camped at a spring which we gave the name of "The Lost Hollow" because there was very little water there. We had men out in every direction in search of water. They traveled 40 or 50 miles (64 or 80 km) in search of water but found none. You cannot imagine how we all felt. Go back, we could not and we knew not what was before us. Our provisions were failing us. There
156-592: A ridge west of the North Fork of the Malheur River, the emigrants were forced to climb a steep, narrow ravine choked with boulders. One emigrant wrote about moving "ten thousand stones" in order to make a roadbed. Some of the wagons were damaged during the 1,000 foot (300 m) climb, but they were soon repaired and the wagons continued over the hill and down to Cottonwood Creek. The train continued over mountains until it finally came down East Cow Creek into
195-488: A two-day journey, but it took them ten days. When they arrived at The Dalles they were in a starving condition and so weak that some of the men needed help dismounting their horses. On September 26, 1845, both groups arrived on the same day at Sagebrush Springs near present-day Gateway, Oregon . They had all traveled a long distance without water, and the whole train stopped to rest on the 27th. On that day Samuel Parker entered in his diary: May codent get to water and water
234-451: A weakened condition, more travelers became sick. Camp fever and other ailments began to overcome large numbers, especially the children and elders. On September 13, Field again wrote: Started this morning in expectation of a long drive across the plain before us, but when about four miles (6.4 km) from camp met Meek's wife in company with a friend, returning with the news that they had found no water as yet and requesting all who were at
273-484: Is a geologic feature located primarily within the U.S. state of Idaho . It stretches about 400 miles (640 km) westward from northwest of the state of Wyoming to the Idaho- Oregon border. The plain is a wide, flat bow-shaped depression and covers about a quarter of Idaho. Three major volcanic buttes dot the plain east of Arco , the largest being Big Southern Butte . Most of Idaho's major cities are in
312-575: Is one of sixteen historic trails recognized by the State of Oregon. The blazing of the Meek Cutoff led to later wagon roads and the settlement of the eastern and central regions of Oregon. 43°58′44″N 117°15′31″W / 43.97886°N 117.25871°W / 43.97886; -117.25871 Snake River Plain 43°00′N 113°30′W / 43.000°N 113.500°W / 43.000; -113.500 The Snake River Plain
351-473: Is thought by some to be between Wagontire Mountain and the south fork of the Crooked River. When the train reached the springs at the south fork one group turned west while the other continued north. The larger group followed Samuel Parker up to Steen's Ridge where wagon ruts can still be seen today. Their goal was to follow the Crooked River. The smaller group with Solomon Tetherow continued west along
390-415: The Harney Basin , in a region known today as the Oregon High Desert . The expression on Meek's face "changed to one of complete bewilderment, as if he were seeing the country for the first time." When trapping in this area 10 years prior, the alkaline lakes had flooded a large portion of the valley. But now it was a drought year, the lakes were small and everything looked different. They continued south along
429-528: The Silvies River and out into the lakebed , where they turned west. As they made their way to Silver Creek there were some in the forward company who insisted they continue west to find a pass over the Cascades. Meek wanted to follow Silver Creek to the north, but they refused to follow him. On September 11, 1845, James Field wrote in his diary: It was his intention to follow down Crooked River to
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#1732772798224468-546: The Yellowstone hotspot , now centered in Yellowstone National Park . The eastern plain is a topographic depression that cuts across Basin and Range mountain structures, more or less parallel to North American Plate motion. It is underlain almost entirely by basalt erupted from large shield volcanoes . Beneath the basalts are rhyolite lavas and ignimbrites that erupted as the lithosphere passed over
507-404: The 2nd week of October, having suffered 23 known deaths and probably many more. It is estimated that another 25 of the exhausted emigrants died after reaching The Dalles. The deaths and other circumstances created resentment towards Meek and led to the often used phrase "Meek deserted them in the desert," despite his having stayed with his emigrants throughout most of the journey. The Meek Cutoff
546-590: The Deschutes and down it to the old road, but when he came to the marshy lake spoken of last Sunday, the company refused to follow him if he made the circuit necessary to get around it upon Crooked river again so he struck off in a westerly direction in order to get upon the main Deschutes River. He well knew that there was a scarcity of grass and water across here and so informed them, but it was nearer and they would have him go it, and now blame him for coming
585-722: The Moon National Monument . The Snake River Plain has a significant effect on the climate of Yellowstone National Park and the adjacent areas to the south and west of Yellowstone. Over time, the Yellowstone hotspot left a 70-mile (110 km) wide channel through the Rocky Mountains . This channel is in line with the gap between the Cascade Range and the Sierra Nevada . The result is
624-444: The Snake River Plain, as is much of its agricultural land. The Snake River Plain can be divided into three sections: western, central, and eastern. The western Snake River Plain is a large tectonic graben or rift valley filled with several kilometers of lacustrine (lake) sediments; the sediments are underlain by rhyolite and basalt , and overlain by basalt. The western plain began to form around 11–12 Ma (million years ago) with
663-665: The Snake River Valley, the Tetons, and the Yellowstone Plateau receive much more precipitation than other areas of the region, and the area is known for being wet, green, having many streams, and having abundant snow in winter. Although the topography of the Plain has largely gone unchanged for several million years, this region's climate has not been so constant. Current climatic conditions began to characterize
702-510: The West Fork Silvies River. Both terminate at Malheur Lake about 25 miles (40 km) southeast of Burns. Flowing mainly through private land with limited public access, the river supports populations of redband trout , especially on its upstream reaches. Downstream of Seneca, fish such as smallmouth bass , yellow perch , and carp are more abundant. The pool behind Five-Mile Dam, about 5 miles (8 km) north of Burns,
741-424: The dangerous crossing. Some of the emigrants crossed from the low banks, using their wagon box as a boat and guided by ropes over the swift current. Others used a rope and pulley system above the high walls of the narrows about two miles (three point two kilometres) downstream. It took nearly two weeks to cross everyone in the wagon train. The starving and exhausted emigrants finally reached The Dalles beginning around
780-530: The emigrants had been finding out how unfamiliar Meek was with the area, especially as the wagons followed a serpentine route into Harney Valley . However, there was always enough grass and water to get by. But now as the train became stalled at the Lost Hollow tensions reached a boiling point. Scouts were sent out in all directions looking for water and they searched for long distances but all came back empty-handed. In 1849, Betsy Bayley recalled this event in
819-537: The eruption of rhyolite lavas and ignimbrites . The western plain is not parallel to North American Plate motion and lies at a high angle to the central and eastern Snake River Plains. Its morphology is similar to other volcanic plateaus such as the Chilcotin Group in south-central British Columbia , Canada. The eastern Snake River Plain traces the path of the North American Plate over
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#1732772798224858-533: The head of the Snake River Valley at Ashton, Idaho ; at Island Park, Idaho ; at the Teton Range east of Driggs, Idaho ; and at the Yellowstone Plateau of Yellowstone National Park where the channeled moisture precipitates out as rain and snow. The result is a localized climate on the eastern side of the Rockies that is akin to a climate on the west slope of the Cascades or the northern Sierra. The head of
897-548: The hotspot. The central Snake River plain is similar to the eastern plain but differs by having thick sections of interbedded lacustrine (lake) and fluvial (stream) sediments, including the Hagerman fossil beds . Island Park and Yellowstone Calderas formed as the result of enormous rhyolite ignimbrite eruptions, with single eruptions producing up to 600 cubic miles (2,500 km ) of ash. Henry's Fork Caldera , measuring 18 miles (29 km) by 23 miles (37 km), may be
936-585: The journey – while emigrants were driving their livestock throughout the night to water – the John Herren family reportedly found some gold nuggets , which led to the legend of the Lost Blue Bucket Mine . The name came from the story later circulated by some of the emigrants. The Herrens reported that if they had remained at their campsite they could have filled a blue bucket with gold nuggets. This place has never been found, but if it exists it
975-449: The largest symmetrical caldera in the world. The caldera formed when a dome of magma built up and then drained away. The center of the dome collapsed, leaving a caldera. Henry's Fork Caldera lies within the older and larger Island Park Caldera , which is 50 miles (80 km) by 65 miles (105 km). Younger volcanoes that erupted after passing over the hotspot covered the plain with young basalt lava flows in places, including Craters of
1014-497: The murder of two Frenchmen in the area. Stephen Meek , the older brother of Joe Meek , was an experienced fur trapper and explorer who made his living as a wagon train guide. Meek was unemployed at the time but was considered to be someone who was familiar with eastern Oregon . When he offered the emigrants an alternate route to avoid the Blue Mountains many decided to follow him. Some 200 wagons and 1,000 people turned off
1053-429: The north side of Hampton Butte and then followed Bear Creek. Meek traveled with this smaller company. With the help of a Native American who guided the group to water in exchange for a blanket, they reached the Deschutes River where Cline Falls is today, and then followed the Deschutes north. This group suffered more for lack of supplies, so they sent a relief party ahead to The Dalles . The relief party thought it would be
1092-685: The northern Harney Basin . The headwaters are on the southern flank of the Aldrich Mountains , about 10 miles (16 km) south of Mount Vernon in Grant County. Named tributaries include Bear Creek and Emigrant Creek. The Silvies runs generally southward and passes near Seneca and Burns . Southeast of Burns, in Harney County, the river splits into two distributaries , the East Fork Silvies River and
1131-595: The primary Oregon Trail at Vale and followed Meek into the Oregon desert , where no wagons had traveled before. Meek led the wagon train southwest through the Malheur Mountains. The party followed the Malheur River for the first two days but were then forced into the hill country. As they progressed the road became stonier. It was so hard on the oxen that several died each day. Some of the emigrants were not doing well, especially those who were already sick when
1170-446: The region in the early Pleistocene (approximately 2.5 million years ago). However, the arid climate of today was born from the gradual dissipation of a climate defined by greater moisture and narrower ranges of annual temperatures. Silvies River The Silvies River flows for about 119 miles (192 km) through Grant and Harney counties in the U.S. state of Oregon . The river drains 1,273 square miles (3,300 km ) of
1209-494: The route they obliged him to. The train continued to Wagontire Mountain , a name it later received when early settlers found a wagon tire there. Here the emigrants camped in and around what they called the "Lost Hollow". There was water and grass but not an ample supply for the emigrants and all their livestock. As emigrants further back in the train continued to arrive, circumstances in the camp became desperate. Water quickly became scarce and many ran out of their staple supplies. In
Meek Cutoff - Misplaced Pages Continue
1248-643: The south fork of the Crooked River . At this point, due to hardship, the party split into two groups, each of which found the Deschutes River . The two groups reunited north of where the Crooked River empties into the Deschutes and, deflecting from their original westward purpose, followed the river to the Columbia and rejoined the Oregon Trail at The Dalles . In 1853, the Elliott Cutoff
1287-437: The spring to remain there until he found a camp and returned or sent word back for them to come on. Nothing remained for us to do but drive back to the camp we had just left, where we found Teatherow's company also, so if misery loves company here is enough of it, for this small camping spot is nearly eaten out by our own large stock of cattle, and to add to all this there are some in the company nearly out of provisions. For weeks
1326-537: The swift river, and both Meek and his wife were guided through the water with ropes tied around them. They hurried to the Mission at The Dalles where they convinced Black Harris , a mountain man, to return to the falls with a crew and equipment to help the emigrants cross. In this way Meek made his escape, and the rescue crew arrived in time to help the pioneers, who numbered more than a thousand, cross with their wagons. The wagons were taken completely apart to facilitate
1365-505: The train took the cutoff. Just west of Castle Rock and along the North Fork of the Malheur River, Rowland Chambers' wife Sarah, the Captain's daughter and a young mother of two small children, was now critically ill, having contracted camp fever earlier in the journey. "Everything possible was done to ease her distress as she lay in the wagon hovering between life and death but alas, to no avail. Sarah breathed her last breath at this camp and
1404-632: Was established, completing Meek's purpose by turning upstream at the Deschutes River for 30 miles (48 km) and then crossing the Cascade Mountains at Willamette Pass . In 1845, there were rumors circulating among the emigrants on the Oregon Trail that Walla Walla and Cayuse Indians might possibly attack the settlers in the Blue Mountains of Oregon or along the Columbia River. Reports of threats came in conjunction with
1443-427: Was laid to rest beneath the sagebrush ." The next day the grieving husband was left behind with a horse as the train continued to journey on. He went down to the river and found a native stone that he smoothed, then carved this inscription: "Mrs. S Chambers, Sep 3rd 1845." It remains one of the few Oregon Trail gravestones in existence. The very next day the train experienced its most difficult ascent. In order to reach
1482-541: Was sorrow and dismay depicted on every countenance. We were like mariners lost at sea and in this mountainous wilderness we had to remain for five days. At last we concluded to take a Northwesterly direction . . . . After we got in the right direction, people began to get sick. The search for water ended when Meek climbed Midnight Point and from there he could see Buck Creek 25 miles (40 km) due north. The emigrants immediately left for Buck Creek but from this point on they were no longer following Meek. During this period of
1521-410: Was taken to them, 32 in number. Heare we beried 6 persons. Parker later added these remarks: Tuck what is called Meeks cutoff - a bad cutoff for all that tuck it. Meek continued on ahead of the company, and when he reached Sherars Falls on the Deschutes River he was warned that a father who lost two sons along the trail intended to kill him, so with the help of Native Americans a rope was sent across
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