Historical Society to host presentation on Goodale's Cutoff

Guest speaker James W. McGill will give a presentation on the Goodale Cutoff at the regular meeting of the Gem County Historical Society at the museum, 501 E. First St., Tuesday, Jan. 18, at 7:30 p.m. McGill is past-president of the Idaho chapter of OR-CA Trails Assoc. and editor of Trail Dust.

The portion of the Oregon Trail system of trails that was known as Goodale's Cutoff, the greater part of which ran across Idaho, was opened for much use after July-August, 1862. Tim Goodale led the longest wagon train in all the history of the Oregon Trail system across part of his Cutoff from Champagne Meadow, now in Butte County, to Boise. He had led his own train from the Fort Hall site, crossed the Snake River there, and on to Champagne Meadow, across an older little-used route.

It was started by John Jeffrey in 1854, but the route was little used until after Goodale's train came across Idaho. For this reason, the route to Boise is now called the Jeffrey-Goodale Cutoff.

At Champagne Meadow Goodale had waited and was joined by other trains until the number of wagons was about 750, a 10-mile long train when traveling. These wagons followed Goodale to Boise, where the additional wagons chose to go on down the Boise River on the traditional Oregon Trail. They crossed to Oregon near the Fort Boise site.

Goodale's train was made up of families with mining interests, and some wanted to go to the new mines near Florence, ID. Others wanted to go to the Powder River mines in Oregon.

Goodale then led his wagons along a new route, following mostly old Indian trails. They went northwest from the area of Eagle to the present Emmett and followed the Payette River west. Near the mouth of the Payette on the Snake River, Goodale turned northerly, followed along the Snake, crossed the Weiser River near the mouth of Mann Creek and followed an old Indian trail up Mann Creek.

The trail went northeast from near the crossing of Mann Creek by later US 95, through the Middle Valley (Midvale), and on to the upper Weiser Valley. They camped near the area of Cambridge and soon improved a trail northwest to the new Brownlee Ferry on the Snake River, hired to do so by Mr. Brownlee for free passage across the Snake River on the ferry. The Boise-to-Brownlee route is the Goodale Cutoff, his own new trail.

A few miners tried to go north to Florence from the upper Weiser Valley, but soon had to abandon their wagons because of rough terrain. The remaining wagons crossed the Brownlee Ferry, where they we hired to build a "zig-Zag" road up the steep Oregon side, to meet the Powder River Road. They then went on to those mines.

The opening of this route, and the same fall, a variant north from Emmett by miners, through Crane Creek and on to the Upper Weiser, had a profound effect on travel across Idaho for many years.

From the historic map of Canyon County, we find that this once much larger county (1891-1915) contained much of the Goodale Cutoff. Though the county was formed after Goodale passed and many other emigrants had followed him, for several years this part of that trail can be included in the history of Canyon County. From about half-way between Boise and Emmett, all of the Payette River route, and part of the route north from this was Canyon County-Goodale Trail.

When Gem County was formed in 1915, this county unofficially, but historically, adopted the Goodale Cutoff that had been part of Canyon County. This included that part of the trail that ran along the Payette River to the Gem County western border. This writer and other Oregon-California Trail Association members have now walked many miles of the Goodale Cutoff, with significant ruts still visible northwest from Eagle and almost to Freezeout Hill near Emmett.

The spectacular Goodale route down a long and steep ridge just north of the old Freezeout Road is still undisturbed. There will soon be a search for evidence along the south side of the Payette River for trail ruts. Though this Payette land is much developed and some roads and the railroad have covered much of the old Goodale Trail there, it is hoped that some trail remnants will be found near the river.

Along the variant north of Emmett, many miles of the original ruts are still found. Satellite photos of remaining parts of the old trail can be found on the Internet. The earliest land plats indicate this trail-matching the satellite photos-and historical record have been located that verify most of the route. Many old trail journals and diaries also describe travel on all or parts of this cutoff.

This part of Idaho's history has long been ignored by most historians and little information has been discovered and published. A resent research paper has now documented in detail the history of the "Goodale North," this cutoff from Boise to the Brownlee Ferry.

Oregon has recognized the Goodale Cutoff from the Brownlee Ferry to the Baker, OR, area, where this cutoff rejoined the Oregon Trail.

The part of the original Goodale route from Boise to near Weiser became the "Umatilla-to-Boise City Road" within a short time after Goodale passed by and became the primary route of Oregon emigrants from 1863 on. It also became the main road for stages and freight wagons both ways, from Walla Walla and Umatilla to the Boise Valley and to the early towns in the Boise Basin, where gold had been discovered-towns built by Goodale Trail emigrants.

Most emigrants who settled the Middle and Upper Weiser valleys followed the variant north from Emmett from the mid 1860s through the 1880s. One wagon train of 40 wagons passed through that part of Canyon County to Midvale as late as 1881 and the Emily Towell Diary, recorded that trip all the way from Mercer County, MO.

We have found historic accounts of others who followed most or all of the Goodale routes to that area through the early 1890s. After 1862, seven of every 10 wagons crossed Idaho on Goodale's routes. Many settled first in the Boise Basin, then along the Payette River, and some also along the western Boise River after following his route.

Much of the central part of the Goodale North has left impressive and lasting trail ruts within miles of Emmett, now discovered to the southeast and to the north along the variant. Mountain man and emigrant guide Tim Goodale had crossed Idaho many times before his train was led on his cutoff and he contributed much to Idaho's history during and long after his passing.