The California Trail had been used by settlers and mountain men crossing the continent long before the Mormon Pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. The original trail passed through Wyoming before heading into southern Idaho, where the trail split to head to Oregon. Those going to California went on through Idaho, passing through the City of Rocks, and barely clipping the north-west corner of present-day Utah.
In 1846, a few guides recommended taking a new route that dropped into the Salt Lake valley from Immigration Canyon, then passed by the Great Salt Lake before crossing 80 miles of western dessert. This was called the Hastings Cut-off, and was supposed to save time. While it did save miles, it cost time and exhaustion due to no real trail being forged yet and the grueling trek through the west desert.
The next year (1847), Mormon Pioneers blazed a better, though still difficult trail through Immigration Canyon. In 1848, the returning Mormon Battalion created a rough trail from the north. One year later still, as the 1849 gold rush got under way, travelers could take the first part of the old Hastings Cut-off, which had already fallen out of favor, and drop into Salt Lake for rest and supplies. They were then directed to the northern route to rejoin the California Trail at City of Rocks - thus was born the Salt Lake Cut-off variation of the California Trail. Even after the gold rush the trail continued to be a popular option to westward travelers for the next two decades.
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| Path of the California Trail, Salt Lake Cut-off |
There were a lot of forks and branches along the Salt Lake Cut-off, but between North Ogden and Deweyville it was only one path, and that path crossed right through present day Honeyville.
An additional note, notice how the highway follows the old trail north and south of Honeyville, but not through it. When Honeyville was divided up, the wagon trail had already gone dry and Main Street was jogged west to fit the needs of the locals. When the highway came through, it cut through town, but houses were already in place, so it took still a different route.
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| See the current highway, the old Main Street, and the even older California Trail. |
Who knows, maybe some old relics remain, covered by 150 years of time.
Additional Reading:
BLM Map
Trails Map and Guide (PDF)
Wikipedia
Stories and Histories
.
