Eagle Scout marks 2 miles of famed Hudspeth Cutoff along California Trail
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BURLEY, Idaho – Over the weekend, BLM Archaeologist Luke Hittner joined Eagle Scout hopeful Clayton Koyle and 12 volunteers to place new Carsonite markers along a 2-mile section of the California Trail’s historic Hudspeth Cutoff, east of Malta. The project’s timing coincides perfectly with both National Public Lands Day and the 50th Anniversary of the National Scenic and Historic Trails Act. The group of volunteers, which included fellow scouts, cub scouts and scoutmasters, also removed damaged or broken markers and replaced them with the new trail markers.
“Whether you are a National Historic Trail enthusiast, hiker or equestrian, these new markers set by Mr. Koyle and company will help you follow in the footsteps and wagon ruts of the pioneers,” said Hittner. “These efforts to mark California Trail routes like Hudspeth Cutoff will increase public recognition of the important historic and cultural events that shaped the United States.”
Hittner works in the Burley Field Office, which manages 59 miles of verified California and Oregon National Historic Trails. He suggested this area of interest to Koyle for his Eagle Scout project because of dramatic imprinted ruts carved in the route by hundreds of wagons and tens of thousands of pioneers during Hudspeth Cutoff’s short lifespan.
Pioneers Benoni M. Hudspeth and John J. Myers led the first wagons through the Sublett Mountains and across the Raft River Valley in south central Idaho, eventually meeting up with the original California trail at what is now the town of Malta. The route was a product of the Gold Rush fever of 1849, when it was more important to be the first to stake a claim in California than to arrive via proven routes.
From June 20 to Aug. 31, 1849, an estimated 250 wagons carrying 16,000 to 25,000 people traveled the trail each day, though the route was unproven, more difficult, and, as it turned out, did not save any time. Yet another estimated 45,000 people traveled it in 1850 and 50,000 in 1852. The Hudspeth Cutoff was in use approximately 10 years, since few went that way after 1859 as the California Gold Rush wound down.
“I’m so pleased with Clayton’s commitment to preserve this piece of the United States’ historic heritage,” said Burley Field Manager Ken Crane. “The weather was just right for them to place markers. It was a great day’s work!”
Photo #1: It takes a team to remove a damaged trail marker while Jordan Koyle (pink), Cameron Koyle (red), and Clayton Koyle (right), supervise the effort.
Photo #2: A successful day with future Eagle Scout Clayton Koyle (left) and Archaeologist Luke Hittner (right)
Photo #3: Koyle and Co. from left to right: Kirk Carpenter, Jordan Christensen, Clayton Koyle, Alanilee Jenkins, Clancy Koyle, Jordan Koyle, Thane Koyle, Cameron Koyle, Sheldon Koyle, Monica Koyle, and Colin Jenkins
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.