Table of Contents
Mountains, Grass and Water
Western Shoshone, Original Inhabitants of Ruby Valley
"Who's Who?" of Mountain Men and Frontiersmen
Hastings the Promoter
Historic South Ruby Valley
Ruby Valley Tour
Donner Spring Tour
Ruby Valley and Hastings Cutoff in Journals, Diaries, and Books
Side Trips
Chronology of the Hastings Cutoff
Resources
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Northern Ruby Valley
History Traveler Series #2
Pause next to wagon ruts leading into Ruby Valley along the
Hastings Cutoff. Look ahead at the barrier formed by the snow-covered Ruby
Mountains.
After so many miles of dry sagebrush, appreciate the abundance of
water flowing down icy streams, and enjoy watching a spring add its clear water
to the Ruby Marshes.
Watch steam rising from Sulphur Hot Springs, and imagine the
approach of a group of Western Shoshone.
Stand at the site of historic Fort Ruby, beneath the expanse of
juniper/pinyon pine woodland. Look up at the summit of Overland Pass that
carried pony express riders, mounted cavalry and stagecoaches.
This book follows two historically important trails, the
Hastings Cutoff and the Overland Trail, through the lush Ruby Valley. Beginning
at the valley’s eastern approach, historian Charles Greenhaw describes the
vivid history of this valley shadowed by 11,000-foot peaks of the Ruby
Mountains.
It is a valley once visited by such western notables as
John Fremont, Kit Carson, Lansford Hastings, George Donner, and Samuel Clements.
Wagons followed the Hastings Cutoff the length of the valley. The Pony Express
and Overland Stage crossed the southern end of the valley. Diary excerpts bring
alive the appreciation of early travelers for the valley’s ample supplies of
grass and water.
Maps and route descriptions help historical time travelers
visit sites throughout the valley.
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