What are some fun facts about the California Trail?

The California Trail is an emigrant trail that is about 3,000 miles in distance. Over 250,000 individuals and farmers used it while looking for gold in the gold fields and rich farmlands of the Golden State. It was open from 1841 to 1869, and was considered to be the greatest mass migration in the American History.



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Some travelers continued to take wagons over the old trail as late as the 1920s. Why? Usually because they didn't have the money to buy train tickets to take their families west, or they had livestock that needed herding along, but sometimes just because they loved the old-timey adventure of it.

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While heavily traveled, the California Trail proved to be extremely difficult and even fatal for many travelers to cross. Fort Laramie was the last stop for many forty-niners before ascending the Rocky Mountains. Due to the necessity of lightening the load, gold-seekers discarded goods along the trail.

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South Pass was one of the most significant, as many emigrants considered it the halfway point. Finally, Sutter's Fort represented the end of the trail for most travelers. Independence Rock and Devil's Gate were popular places to leave your mark on the stone, some of which still remain.

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The covered wagon made 8 to 20 miles per day depending upon weather, roadway conditions and the health of the travelers. It could take up to six months or longer to reach their destination.

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