Overland Trail

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Established and owned by the "Stagecoach King," Ben Holladay, the Overland Trail was a variation of the Oregon Trail. In 1862, Holladay and his Overland Stage Company were directed by the U.S. Post Office to move from the established route through Wyoming that followed the North Platte River to a different route following the South Platte. The new route had the advantage of being shorter, but it was also chosen in an effort to avoid Indian attacks that had been occurring on the Oregon Trail.

The route of the Overland Trail followed the southern bank of the South Platte River to Latham, near today's Greeley, Colorado, then went up along the Cache le Poudre River, crossed the Laramie Plains, traveled through Bridger's Pass, and rejoined the Oregon Trailat Fort Bridger. The western route out of Latham was also known as the Cherokee Trail.

While the Oregon Trail may have been more popular, the Overland Trail was not simply a detour. From 1862 to 1868, it was the only route upon which the federal government would permit travel and it served as the main highway to the west in those years. Holladay owned the Overland Stage Company until 1866 when, realizing the Transcontinental Railroad would end the need for stagecoach travel, he sold it to Wells Fargo.

Bibliography

Faragher, John M. Women and Men on the Overland Trail. 2d ed., New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 2001. The original edition was published in 1979.