South Pass was critical to the success of the emigrants crossing the Continental Divide and their survival passing through the mountain ranges of the Rockies. Historians agree that without the discovery of South Pass by a fur trader, Robert Stuart, and his company headed back East in 1812, the story of western migration and the settlement of Oregon and California would have been much different. Although it does not have an iconic silhouette like Chimney Rock and Independence Rock, it is arguably the most important landmark of the Oregon Trail.
Click on the following link to learn more from reputable historian, Will Bagley, why South Pass was the most important landmark of the Oregon Trail: http://www.wyohistory.org/essays/south-pass
Pedaling Pioneer 