Management Program 



Pomeroy Basin. The third sign is planned for the 

 Hams Fork Plateau where the Dempsey-Hockaday 

 Trail reunites with the Sublette Cutoff and will 

 address both trails. A fourth sign, optional, may 

 be placed along the trail where it intersects with 

 the Hams Fork Road, just north of Lake Viva- 

 Naughton. This sign would interpret the Dempsey- 

 Hockaday Trail across Hams Fork. 



Management Policy 



A management policy specific to the Dempsey- 

 Hockaday Cutoff is not necessary. 



Blacks Fork Cutoff 

 District) 



BF (Rock Springs 



According to the 7.5' USGS topographic maps 

 in the Kemmerer Resource Area, the Blacks Fork 

 Cutoff begins at the union of the Hams Fork and 

 Blacks Fork Rivers just west of Granger. The 

 Blacks Fork Cutoff proceeds west, generally 

 following the bluffs overlooking the Blacks Fork 

 to the north. A 2-track road, located using the 

 1874 General Land Office plat for T 19 N., R. 112 

 W., was identified in Sec. 28 as the probable trail 

 and lies some 4.5 miles west of Granger. 



The Blacks Fork River turns to the south 12 miles 

 west of Granger. The cutoff abandons this river 

 and follows the Little Muddy Creek. One variant 

 of the trail, verified using the 1874 GLO plat for 

 T. 18 N., R. 115 W., generally follows the north 

 side of the Little Muddy while another variant is 

 located along the southern bank of this creek for 

 about five miles. Both variants unite four miles 

 northwest of Hampton siding on the Union Pacific 

 Railroad, and follow the north side of the Little 

 Muddy for an additional seven miles to a point 

 north of the Carter Cedars where the Bridger 

 Route of the Oregon Trail joins the Blacks Fork 

 Cutoff. Both trails follow the Little Muddy, with 

 the Blacks Fork Cutoff on the north and the 

 Bridger Route of the Oregon Trail on the south 

 bank, respectively. Four miles distant, the Blacks 

 Fork Cutoff crosses the Little Muddy and merges 

 with the Oregon Trail just east of the Ziller Ranch, 

 one mile east of Cumberland Gap. 



Management of Sites 



No documented historic sites are presently 

 known to exist on public lands along this cutoff. 



Management of Trail Segments 



The BLM will place an interpretive sign at the 

 end of the Blacks Fork Cutoff just east of the Ziller 

 Ranch. This sign will mark the junction of the 

 Blacks Fork Cutoff with the main route of the 

 Oregon Trail. Due to the rough terrain, four-wheel 

 drive vehicle use only is recommended. 



Because little is presently known of the 

 condition of the Blacks Fork Cutoff, archival and 

 field research are needed to fill in this data gap. 

 Field examination and other research could be 

 done cooperatively by the BLM and other groups 

 such as universities, historical societies, or 

 historical associations. This work should be done 

 as soon as practical. 



Management Policy 



The Blacks Fork Cutoff will be managed 

 according to the Oregon/Mormon Trail General 

 Management Policy. 



MAINTENANCE 



Maintenance work will be done by BLM. It will 

 be accomplished by BLM personnel, by BLM 

 contracts with private organizations and 

 individuals, local agencies and through coopera- 

 tive management agreements (CMAs) with other 

 federal agencies (NPS), historical societies, or 

 other interested groups. 



Maintenance work will be programmed annually 

 by BLM district offices. 



The contracted work will be for the cleanup and 

 light maintenance of the developed historic sites 

 such as Bessemer Bend and Devil's Gate. 

 Cooperative agreements will be developed as 

 opportunities presented themselves for a variety 

 of maintenance actions. They include sign 

 maintenance, cleanup work along trail segments, 

 or light maintenance of developed sites. 



The BLM work will include all of the above, as 

 needed. 



It is not possible to accurately estimate 

 maintenance needs. The following are rough 

 estimates based on past experience. 



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