Hastings Cutoff

E511982

Hastings Cutoff was a poorly scouted overland shortcut proposed by Lansford Hastings that significantly delayed and imperiled westward emigrant wagon trains, most notoriously the Donner Party.

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Statements (43)

Predicate Object
instanceOf emigrant trail shortcut
overland trail route
actualEffect depletion of supplies
increased hardship for emigrants
increased travel time
loss of livestock
characterizedAs dangerous shortcut
poorly scouted route
claimedAdvantage shorter distance to California
comparedTo main California Trail
contributedTo Donner Party delay
Donner Party entrapment in the Sierra Nevada NERFINISHED
country United States of America
surface form: United States
era Oregon and California Trail era
hasRisk difficult mountain terrain
salt desert crossing
scarcity of grass for animals
scarcity of water
historicalAssessment example of misleading promotional literature for emigrants
ill-advised shortcut
influencedBy Lansford Hastings’ desire to attract settlers to California
locatedIn present-day Nevada NERFINISHED
present-day Utah
present-day Wyoming
namedAfter Lansford Hastings NERFINISHED
notableFor association with the Donner Party
delaying emigrant wagon trains
imperiling emigrant wagon trains
partOf California Trail NERFINISHED
promotedBy Lansford Hastings NERFINISHED
promotedIn The Emigrants’ Guide to Oregon and California NERFINISHED
proposedBy Lansford Hastings NERFINISHED
routeSegment across the Great Salt Lake Desert
south of the Great Salt Lake
through the Wasatch Range
timePeriod 1840s
transportMode horse-drawn wagons
ox-drawn wagons
traverses Great Salt Lake Desert NERFINISHED
Wasatch Mountains NERFINISHED
usedBy Donner Party NERFINISHED
usedDuring 19th-century American westward migration
usedFor wagon travel

Referenced by (1)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Donner Party usedRouteVariant Hastings Cutoff