Management Program 



will be included in development plans. The site 

 will be nominated to the National Register of 

 Historic Places. 



Site CR-1 Platte Island Trail Segment. Public 

 access presently exists to the site and it is closed 

 to ORV use. These measures will be retained. In 

 addition to those management actions, the site 

 will have a historic marker and interpretive sign 

 installed. The site will be nominated to the National 

 Register of Historic Places. 



Site TIR-7 Sergeant Custard Segment. The site 

 will remain closed to ORV use. A historic marker 

 will be installed and the site will be nominated 

 to the National Register of Historic Places. 



Site TIR-8 Glade Draw Segment. The existing ORV 

 closure will be maintained. Public access will be 

 maintained to the site. Future management 

 actions include placing a historic marker and 

 interpretive sign at the site. The site will be 

 nominated to the National Register of Historic 

 Places. 



Site TIR-9 Ryan Hill Segment. A hill (Prospect 

 Hill) requiring a significant climb with a grade 

 averaging 7.5 percent. A landmark popularized by 

 Mormons in William Clayton's Latter Day Saints 

 Emigrants' Guide. Other recreational develop- 

 ments will include a designated parking area, 

 interpretive panels, a scenic overlook, and a foot 

 trail to the trail ruts. The site will be nominated 

 to the National Register of Historic Places. 



Sweetwater/South Pass Segment - SS 

 (Rawlins/Rock Springs Districts) 



This segment consists of the primary route of 

 the Oregon/Mormon National Historic Trails. It 

 begins at Independence Rock in the Rawlins 

 District (Sec. 9, T. 29 N., R. 86 W.) and ends at 

 the Little Sandy River crossing in the Rock Springs 

 District (Sec. 28, T 26 N., R. 105 W.). The route 

 generally follows the Sweetwater River from 

 Independence Rock to South Pass, passing such 

 major historic sites as Devil's Gate, Martins Cove, 

 Split Rock, Ice Slough, and Burnt Ranch. It then 

 heads southwest from South Pass to the crossing 

 of Little Sandy Creek, the end of this segment. 



Management of Sites 



Site SS-1 Devil's Gate. Devil's Gate, a prominent 

 landmark north of the trails on the Sun Ranch, 

 was formed by a precipitous canyon through 

 which the Sweetwater River flows. It was 

 described in many emigrants' journals. The site 



is presently a national historic landmark. The 

 existing mineral withdrawal will be retained. 

 Devil's Gate will be managed to maintain its 

 present natural appearance. This means that 

 activities that would significantly disturb the area 

 will not be allowed. The site will be managed to 

 protect and ensure the continuation of existing 

 uses, in addition to the scenic value. Retain Devil's 

 Gate on the National Register of Historic Places. 



Site SS-2 Devil's Gate Historic Site. This BLM- 

 managed roadside interpretive site interprets the 

 site from the fur trade era through the 1860s. It 

 was established in 1976 for the Bicentennial. 

 Devil's Gate interpretive site will be managed to 

 interpret the Sweetwater Valley at Devil's Gate. 

 Topics include Devil's Gate, the fur trade, the 

 emigrant trails (Oregon, Mormon, and California), 

 the Pony Express Route, military forts, telegraph 

 line, and early ranching in the area. The site will 

 be withdrawn from mineral entry. No developed 

 facilities except the existing paved parking lot, 

 paved trail, fence, signs, trash cans and 

 interpretive panels will be maintained at the site. 

 Permaloy interpretive panels will be considered 

 for future replacement of existing panels at the 

 site. The Martins Cove National Register Plaque 

 and interpretive sign will be displayed at the Devil's 

 Gate interpretive site. 



Site SS-3 Martins Cove. Martins Cove is a 

 protected pocket on the southern flank of the 

 Sweetwater Rocks. Captain Edward Martin's 

 Mormon Handcart emigrants took refuge from a 

 winter storm in November 1856, where 135 to 150 

 persons died of exposure. Interpretation of the 

 Martins Cove site will be included at the existing 

 Devil's Gate Historic Site. The BLM does not 

 anticipate attempting to acquire access across the 

 private lands to the site. The BLM will seek a 

 mineral withdrawal for the site and manage it to 

 protect the natural and scenic features. Surface- 

 disturbing activities will not be authorized. Only 

 the minimum area necessary to protect the site 

 will be affected (600 acres - the area covered by 

 the National Register site). The site will be retained 

 on the National Register of Historic Places. 



Site SS-4 Astorian Camp. The precise location 

 of this site is not known. The Astorian campsite 

 will be interpreted at the adjacent Devil's Gate 

 Historic Site. 



Site SS-5 Split Rocit. Split Rock is a highly visible 

 landmark which covers roughly one square mile 

 and consists of a cleft in solid granite. It was used 

 by travelers to mark the route along the 

 Sweetwater River. The existing mineral withdrawal 

 will be retained. The BLM will manage Split Rock 

 to preserve its natural scenic features. No surface- 



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