Oregon History
Cutoff Fever
Eager to save time on the Oregon Trail,
emigrants often attempted shortcuts.
Between 1845 and 1854, three wagon
trains left this campsite seeking a cutoff
to the Willamette Valley.
The Meek Cutoff of 1845
Frontiersman Stephen Meek
presuaded over 1,000 people
with 200 wagons to avoid the
notorious Blue Mountains, Cayuse
Indians, and Columbia River
by turning west up the Malheur
River into central Oregon. Unable
to find water west of Wagontire
Mountain, the train turned north
and rejoined the Oregon Trail at
The Dalles. Hunger and illness led
to 23 deaths on the trek.
The Elliot Cutoff of 1853
Elijah Elliott convinced over 1,000
people with 215 wagons to attempt
a shortcut over the partially
completed Free Emigrant Road,
which had been explored in 1852.
Elliott's party followed Meek's
route as far as the Harney Valley
before striking a different course
around Malheur and Harney
Lakes. Continuing westward, they
became disoriented and desperate.
Scouts eventually found the Free
Emigrant Road in the Cascade
Mountains and reached the Willamette
Valley settlements. The settlers
soon organized a rescue party to
help the stranded emigrants.
The Macy Cutoff of 1854
In 1852, the road districts of
Benton, Lane and Lion Counties
had jointly hired William Macy
to find a route between Skinner's
(now Eugene) and the distant
Malheur River. Macy crossed the
Cascade Mountains and followed
the Deschutes River north until he
turned east on the Meek Cutoff.
A skirmish with the Snake Indians in
the Harney Valley forced the party
to abandon the search. The venture
led to the eventual construction of
the Free Emigrant Road. In 1854,
Macy led 121 wagons over much
the same route as Elliot's without
recorded difficulty.
