Hugo Neighborhood Association & Historical Society
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APPLEGATE TRAIL: MT. SEXTON PASS Applegate Trail: Mt. Sexton Pass The Hugo Emigrant Trails Committee (Trails Committee) was formed to bring together all those who want to learn more about the early transportation in the area, from the casual admirer to the dedicated researcher.1 On July 21, 2003 six volunteers set out to inventory the Applegate Trail on the south slope of Mt. Sexton Pass: Hal Anthony, Malcolm Drake, Wayne McKy, Boyd Peters, Karen Rose, and Mike Walker. Do you own property where one of our two 1856 roads once passed? Would you like to know more about their history? Wagon Trail Inventory - OR-JA-00-34-06-23-Mt. Sexton Pass The south approach to Mt. Sexton Pass was inventoried before being aware of the Oregon-California Trails Association’s "Mapping Emigrant Trails" standards. 2 The group found 310' of unaltered trail in the location identified by the 1894 Government Land Office (GLO) map and a 1895 county map. All the maps agreed except the 1995 atlas. However, the atlas was a generalize location map and the GLO maps were surveys. The road segment is on a side hill. However, the emigrants had no choice as the only way over the Grave Creek Hills was one point, the mountain pass, and sideling or traveling in the draw were their only reasonable choices to get there. The road was the right width (9' - 10') and location, and just felt right. Global position system (GPS) data was collected. A large fir tree (dbh 33") was growing in the trail near GPS fix A1. Together, the 1856 and 1893 GLO field notes 2 supported the GPS A1 location as the trail. Larry McLane, Historian, feels that the road segment is the ca., 1851 - 1853 military road from Oakland, Oregon to Fort Steward surveyed by Major B. Alvord, U.S. Surveyor, and Jesse Applegate with a Burts solar compass. His readings support the 1846 wagon trains going up the draw. In conclusion, more work needs to be done by the Trails Committee using the OCTA mapping standards (e.g., artifact search, tree aging, further review of GLO field notes, field review by OCTA representatives, etc.).3 An interim trail classification of Class 1 through Class 2 was recommended for trail segment OR-JA-00-34-06-23-Mt. Sexton Pass by the Trails Committee.
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@ 2008 Hugo Neighborhood Association & Historical Society |
