POST #21-3

And They Called The Wind....

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On Wednesday, November 18, 2020, after a wild night of high winds at the Sleeping Bear RV Park in Lander, Wyoming we filled up with gas and headed out.....Destination...Payson Utah...

We shortly started the climb up South Pass on Wyoming HWY 28.  The wind was fierce, but not as bad as was forecasted the day before.  Wind was 25 to 30 with gusts to about 40.  Depending on the road it was a headwind or crosswind....white knuckles and cramped hands!  Very scenic though!

Once we made it to the top the winds decreased dramatically! 

The old Oregon and Mormon Trail traverses the modern pass, roughly following the route of the Oregon Trail. Wagon ruts are still clearly visible at numerous sites within a few miles of the highway.

In 1856, two Mormon handcart companies left Nebraska in late July for the Salt Lake Valley. Their departure date was too late in the year and both the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies encountered severe winter weather in October. With few provisions and little shelter, the companies lost close to 200 people to exposure and illness. The Willie Company was near Rocky Ridge when help from Salt Lake City finally arrived. Although a mass grave of 13 people is marked by the Willie’s grave monument 7 miles outside Atlantic City, people in the company died over a period of days along the trail, during and after the storm. The Martin Company was near Devil’s Gate when the storm hit and also suffered many deaths despite the efforts of rescuers. The company took shelter in a cove, now called Martin’s Cove, which can be visited today. The tragedy of this snowstorm was the largest disaster to occur on the Oregon Trail. 

The South Pass takes you near some of the first towns to settle in this area

Gold was discovered in the gulches near the pass as early as 1842. In 1867, when an ore sample was transported to Salt Lake City, an influx of miners descended into the region. The gold rush led to the establishment of booming mining communities, such as South Pass City and Atlantic City. The placer gold in the streams was exhausted quickly, however, and by 1870 the miners began leaving the region.  An interesting Drone Video of South Pass City can be seen HERE.

Later we passed through Kemmerer, Wyoming.  Our family has some history in this area.  My mothers mother (Grandma Harvey) is buried in the Kemmerer Cemetery. Moms father was Samuel H. Harvey and her mother was Edith (Minnick) Harvey. Together, they had two daughters that survived childhood illnesses.  Aunt  Evelyn came first and then my Mom Naomi. In 1931, Samuel Harvey moved his wife and two daughters here to southwest Wyoming to take on the job of Postmaster of Blazon, about 5 miles south of Kemmerer, which is now a ghost town. The following year Naomi's mother Edith passed away, and Samuel, unable to care for his daughters, sent the girls back to Pennsylvania, alone on a train. He had notes pinned to their coats as address labels so the conductor would know where they were to disembark. It was the Great Depression, and the relatives that were to take care of the girls were unable to do so, and they were placed in an orphanage called the "Home for the Friendless" in Scranton, Pa. until Grandpa Samuel was able to return and claim them. 

In 1994 Mikeys Parents and brother Charles came to Kemmerer to try to find Grandma Harveys Grave. Short part of a video here...Click arrow to play...

From there we continued to Evanston Wy, on into Utah through Park City and Orem.  We went through some very rugged mountains...the Wasatch Range...Click arrow to play...

And then into Payson, Utah.  That was a longer drive than we usually do...about 330 miles and 5.5 hours.  We wanted to get away from the mountains due to possible snow...we only got some very light rain and more wind through the gaps.

We were also able to bypass the very busy Interstate 15 as it goes through Salt Lake City...No dodging appliances this year!  We continued on I-15 and  stopped at the Payson Walmart and requested permission to boondock in the lot overnight.  They were happy to give it so we made a light dinner and turned in...Thanks Walmart!  Tomorrow we continue south....planned destination, St George, Utah...Just north of the Arizona border!

Until Next Time!