For many emigrants, the first tangible evidence that the had crossed South Pass was Pacific Springs, "the fountain source of the Pacific streams," according to pioneer Joseph Goldsborough Bruff. The broad expanse of the pass from Pacific Springs were proof that the journey to the Pacific coast was geographically half over. But the event was only a slight consolation, the road ahead was still long and hard.

The springs was a major camping spot along the trail, providing good water and grazing. A number of pioneers also died here, most having succumbed to cholera contracted elsewhere along the trail. Several graves are known in the vicinity of Pacific Springs.
In the 1860s, a stagecoach and Pony Express station was located at the springs probably in the area of the Halter and Flick Ranch. Some sources indicate that the station was burned by Indians in 1862. The exact location of the station is unknown.
Pacific Springs became an important source for early livestock operators and they remain so today. The springs lie on private property owned by John Hay. The Hay family has been involved in ranching in southwestern Wyoming for five generations dating to the 1870s.

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Show me all markers in:  Lander, WY  |  Fremont County  |  82520  |  Wyoming  |  United States of America

South Pass
South Pass
The Corridor West
The Fur Trade
The Way West
Narcissa Prentiss Whitman
Old Oregon Trail
South Pass
Oregon Buttes
South Pass

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