[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 122 (Thursday, July 24, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S7301]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SENATE RESOLUTION 623--RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ROLE OF THE 
   LANDER TRAIL IN THE SETTLEMENT OF THE AMERICAN WEST ON THE 150TH 
                    ANNIVERSARY OF THE LANDER TRAIL

  Mr. ENZI (for himself and Mr. Barrasso) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 623

       Whereas Frederick W. Lander first surveyed and supervised 
     construction of the Lander Trail in 1858 to provide emigrants 
     with a travelable link between the Oregon and California 
     Trails;
       Whereas 13,000 emigrants traveled on the Lander Trail 
     during the settlement of the Western United States;
       Whereas the Lander Trail was the first Federal road west of 
     the Mississippi River;
       Whereas travelers in the American West used the Lander 
     Trail for 54 years until 1912; and
       Whereas people can still experience the Lander Trail in the 
     same setting that Frederick W. Lander first began 
     construction in 1858: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate honors the important role of the 
     Lander Trail in the settlement of the Western United States 
     on the sesquicentennial anniversary of the Lander Trail.

  Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize a part of 
Wyoming's history that is celebrating its one hundred and fiftieth 
anniversary this year. The Lander Trail, which runs for 256 miles from 
South Pass, WY, to Fort Hall, ID, was an important part of the 
expansion of the American West in the 1800s when people took up the 
challenge to ``go west'' and settle new territory. In 1858, Frederick 
W. Lander began surveying and construction for the first federally 
funded road west of the Mississippi to provide a better route for 
emigrants headed to California, Oregon, and a new life on the frontier. 
Today, I would like to recognize the historical role the Lander Trail 
played in Wyoming and the American West.
  It was tough going for emigrants going west in the 1850s. The 
dangerous journey halfway across the country could take 6 months or 
more. After the Lander Trail was completed, it was a better road 
through easier territory. Emigrants headed to California or Oregon 
could cut 7 days off their journey by following the Lander Trail, and 
there were good sources of food, water, and forage for livestock along 
the way. Thirteen thousand people traveled the Lander Trail on their 
way to homestead in western territories or to pan for gold in 
California. The Lander Trail is part of the National Historic Trails 
system and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  The Lander Trail can still be seen today in Wyoming and the land 
looks almost the same as it did when Frederick Lander first started 
surveying it. The work of groups in Wyoming like the Lander Trail 
Foundation have ensured that the history of this unique piece of my 
State is being preserved and that people today can go and see and 
experience the Lander Trail. I would like to take this opportunity to 
recognize the role that the Lander Trail has played in the history of 
my State of Wyoming and the settlement of the American West.

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