Jeffrey-Goodale Cutoff on the Oregon Trail in Idaho

"It was a desolate, dismal scenery. Up or down the valley as far as the eye could reach or across the mountains and into the dim distance, the same unvarying mass of black rock. Not a shrub, bird, nor insect seemed to live near it. Great must have been the relief of the volcano, powerful the emetic, that poured such a mass of black vomit."

— Julius Caesar Merrill, a pioneer traveling the Jeffrey-Goodale Cutoff in 1864

Imagine the diverse thoughts and emotions that flooded the minds of the countless emigrants traversing the vast landscapes of the Oregon Trail. Among the various routes and trials they faced, those who dared to venture along the Jeffrey-Goodale Cutoff might have felt as though they had stumbled into a region mirroring the very depths of hell. This perilous path, a northern alternative to the main Oregon Trail, presented both challenges and a potential escape from the dangers that plagued the more established route.

The Jeffrey-Goodale Cutoff stretched for approximately 230 miles, diverting north from the main Oregon Trail, which closely followed the Snake River, around 100 miles south of what is now the Craters of the Moon National Monument. Its primary purpose, especially after 1863, was to offer emigrants a safer passage, mitigating the escalating hostilities with Native American tribes along the primary trail. The increased conflicts made the Jeffrey-Goodale Cutoff a desirable, albeit challenging, alternative.

The concept of the cutoff was initially introduced as early as 1852 by John Jeffrey. He recognized the potential of utilizing traditional Shoshone migration routes to foster business for his ferry at the Blackfoot River’s mouth. Although the cutoff saw some use between 1852 and 1854, it wasn’t until a decade later that a significant portion of Oregon Trail traffic began to embrace this desolate route. The growing concerns about safety became a powerful motivator for those seeking passage westward.

By 1862, the Northern Shoshone and Bannock tribes were actively resisting the influx of settlers encroaching upon their ancestral lands along the traditional Oregon Trail. This resistance escalated to violence, most notably in August 1862 when Bannock Indians ambushed a wagon train at Massacre Rocks, resulting in the deaths of ten individuals. The increasing hostility along the main trail fueled the demand for a safer alternative, thus contributing to the increasing popularity of the Jeffrey-Goodale Cutoff.

That same year, a group of emigrants sought out Tim Goodale, a guide, to lead them west from Fort Hall along the cutoff initially explored by Jeffrey. Their motivations were twofold: to avoid the escalating Indian hostilities along the main trail and to potentially expedite their journey to the Salmon River goldfields. Goodale successfully led a massive wagon train, comprising 1,095 individuals, 338 wagons, and approximately 2,900 head of livestock, safely from Fort Hall to Boise. The sheer size of this wagon train, the largest ever to traverse any section of the Oregon Trail, meant that it took over three hours just to move the entire group into or out of camp.

The year following Goodale’s successful guidance, the Jeffrey-Goodale Cutoff witnessed a dramatic surge in usage. Seven out of every ten wagons traveling from Fort Hall to Boise opted for the cutoff instead of the main Oregon Trail. As emigrants began to navigate their westward-bound wagons along the old Indian and trapper’s trail, they were confronted with a landscape dominated by unforgiving lava fields. The travelers had to develop a winding and precarious road, barely wide enough to accommodate the wagons in many places, and often unavoidable lava stretches. Despite the difficult conditions, they slowly progressed, leaving behind a trail littered with broken wagon parts as testament to the rugged terrain.

The Jeffrey-Goodale Cutoff, stretching 230 miles, veered north from Fort Hall toward Big Southern Butte, a prominent landmark rising from the Snake River Plain. From this point, the route skirted near the present-day town of Arco, winding through the northern reaches of the Craters of the Moon National Monument. It then curved southwest towards Camas Prairie before finally terminating at Fort Boise. The journey typically consumed two to three weeks, each day presenting new challenges and testing the resilience of both people and equipment.

The harsh realities of the Jeffrey-Goodale Cutoff took a significant toll on both the travelers and their wagons. The rugged lava restricted passage to a single lane, and the winding path along the edges of the lava flows made for slow and arduous progress. Often traversing this area in the late July heat, the wood of the wagons would dry out and shrink, causing wheels and boxes to fall apart. For years to come, those who followed would find the trail marked with the remnants of broken wagons, silent reminders of the hardships endured.

For nearly half a century, westward-bound pioneers relied on the Jeffrey-Goodale Cutoff as a crucial route. Later, miners transporting ore to railroad depots and stagecoaches carrying passengers to the burgeoning towns of southern Idaho also utilized the route. However, the advent of the railroad and the automobile eventually rendered the wagon route obsolete, ushering in a new era of transportation and diminishing the importance of the historic trail.

Today, remnants of the trail can still be observed along Highway 20/26/93 between the Craters of the Moon National Monument and Carey. It winds through the northern end of the monument, often hidden from the road, and intersects the highway approximately 3.5 miles west of the Craters of the Moon National Monument Visitor Center. From this point onward, observant travelers can spot the dirt road tracing the edge of the lava flows north of the highway. The cutoff is particularly discernible about 5.7 miles west of the visitor center, where the road descends a steep incline.

On a ranch situated not far from the monument, a small mound of rocks stands in the middle of a pasture. These loose stones might appear to be a recent addition, perhaps piled up to ease the passage of tractors. However, long-time residents of the ranch maintain that these rocks mark the site of a grave dating back over a century. During those difficult times, pioneers faced immense hardship, and some, like the young girl buried here, never reached their destination. According to local lore, the girl was walking behind a wagon when she was bitten by a rattlesnake and succumbed to her injuries two days later, a poignant reminder of the ever-present dangers of the trail.

More Information:

Craters of the Moon National Monument
18 miles W of Arco on Hwy 20/26/93
P.O. Box 29
Arco, Idaho 83213
208-527-1300

"At one place, we were obliged to drive over a huge rock just a little wider than the wagon. Had we gone a foot to the right or to the left the wagon would have rolled over."

— J.C. Merrill, pioneer traveler of the cutoff, 1864