Raynold’s Pass

The low gap in the mountains on the skyline south of here is Raynold’s Pass over the Continental Divide. Jim Bridger, famous trapper and scout, guided an expedition of scientists through the pass in June of 1860. The party was led by Capt. W. F. Raynolds of the Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army. They came through from the south and camped that night on the Madison River near this point. Capt. Raynolds wrote “The pass is . . . so level that it is difficult to locate the exact point at which the waters divide. I named it Low Pass and deem it to be one of the most remarkable and important features of the topography of the Rocky Mountains.” Jim Bridger didn’t savvy road maps or air route beacons but he sure knew his way around.