Bridger's Pass
National Register of Historic Places

Bridger's Pass

Rawlins, Carbon County, Wyoming
Listed
April 27, 1970
Type
Site
Period
Early Republic
Ref No.
70000669

About this property

Bridger Pass is a mountain pass in Carbon County, Wyoming on the Continental Divide of the Americas near the south Great Divide Basin bifurcation point, i.e., the point at which the divide appears to split and envelop the basin. The first documented crossing of Bridger Pass was by the Stansbury Expedition, returning east from an expedition to Utah and guided by Jim Bridger. A decade later the pass was in regular use by travelers on the Overland Trail and the associated stage line, these having been established along the route described by Stansbury and known since that time as the Cherokee Trail. To support the stage line, the Bridger Stage Station was established near the pass. The Overland Trail was used steadily between 1860 and 1869 until the First transcontinental railroad made the stage line obsolete. In modern times, the official route of the Continental Divide Trail uses Bridger Pass Road to navigate the Great Divide Basin between Battle Pass on Wyoming Highway 70 and Rawlins, Wyoming. A challenge to hikers is the lack of potable water along this section due to the brackish nature (salinity) of water in the basin.

Location

Rawlins, Carbon County, Wyoming
41.55073, -107.43518

Categories

COMMERCEMILITARYTRANSPORTATIONCOMMUNICATIONS
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
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LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
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Historical Maps
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Finds & Access
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Literature
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Spotlight
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Nearby Historic Sites

JO Ranch Rural Historic Landscape
Listed
16.3 mi
Union Pacific Railroad Depot
Industrial
19.2 mi
Downtown Rawlins Historic District
Listed
19.3 mi
France Memorial United Presbyterian Church
Industrial
19.3 mi
Downtown Rawlins Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed
19.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Bridger's Pass listed on the National Register?

Bridger's Pass was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 27, 1970.

What type of historic resource is Bridger's Pass?

Bridger's Pass is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Bridger's Pass?

The period of significance for Bridger's Pass is recorded as the early_republic era, specifically around 1860.

Can I research the history near Bridger's Pass?

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