The Nobles Emigrant Trail, also known as the Fort Kearney, South Pass and Honey Lake Wagon Road, is a trail in California that was used by emigrant parties from the east as a shortened route to northern California. It was pioneered in 1851 by William Nobles, who discovered an easy shortcut between the

Applegate Trail The Applegate Trail was an emigrant trail through the present-day U.S. states of Idaho, Nevada, California, and Oregon used in the mid-19th century by emigrants on the American frontier. It was originally intended as a less dangerous alternative ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

and the Lassen Trail in California. The trail was extensively used until the 1870s, when it was superseded by railroads.

Discovery and establishment

The main trail to California in the 1840s was the

California Trail The California Trail was an emigrant trail of about across the western half of the North American continent from Missouri River towns to what is now the state of California. After it was established, the first half of the California Trail fo ...

, which followed the

Humboldt River The Humboldt River is an extensive river drainage system located in north-central Nevada. It extends in a general east-to-west direction from its headwaters in the Jarbidge, Independence, and Ruby Mountains in Elko County, to its terminus in t ...

in Nevada, then the

Truckee River The Truckee River is a river in the U.S. states of California and Nevada. The river flows northeasterly and is long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed October 20, 2012 Th ...

, and over the

Donner Pass Donner Pass is a mountain pass in the northern Sierra Nevada, above Donner Lake and Donner Memorial State Park about west of Truckee, California. Like the Sierra Nevada themselves, the pass has a steep approach from the east and a gradual appr ...

in California. A northern variation was pioneered by the Applegate brothers in 1846, using a more northerly route that connected with destinations in

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. ...

. Peter Lassen established a variant route that passed

Lassen Peak Lassen Peak ( ), commonly referred to as Mount Lassen, is a lava dome volcano and the southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range of the Western United States. Located in the Shasta Cascade region of Northern California, it is part of t ...

on the way to the

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

area. Lassen scouted the area of

Honey Lake Honey Lake is an endorheic sink in the Honey Lake Valley in northeastern California, near the Nevada border. Summer evaporation reduces the lake to a lower level of and creates an alkali flat. Honey Lake dries almost completely in most years. H ...

with William H. Nobles for a legendary "Gold Lake", but having failed, they parted company, with Nobles continuing to the east and accidentally scouting a shorter, easier trail than Lassen's. Nobles, born in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * ...

in 1816, had moved to

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

in 1841 to work as a carpenter, then as a carpenter and wagon-maker. By 1851 he had moved on to California. When Nobles returned to California from his expedition with Lassen, he showed a party of businessmen the route for a fee of $2000. With the subscribers vouching for the usefulness of the route, he returned to Minnesota in 1853 to promote the route, marrying in Illinois along the way. The Minnesota legislature commissioned Nobles to present the route to Congress in Washington. Nobles' efforts persuaded Congress to appropriate $300,000 for an expedition along the route, led by Frederick W. Lander, who prepared a favorable report in February 1861. The route became known as the Fort Kearney, South Pass and Honey Lake Wagon Road. Nobles was elected to the Minnesota Territorial Legislature and died in

St. Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

in 1876. The trail was briefly considered for a railroad route. Its popularity contributed to the founding of Susanville and Redding.

Historic designation

The section of trail within the boundaries of

Lassen Volcanic National Park Lassen Volcanic National Park is an American national park in northeastern California. The dominant feature of the park is Lassen Peak, the largest plug dome volcano in the world and the southernmost volcano in the Cascade Range. Lassen Vol ...

was placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

on October 3, 1975. The section within the park is maintained as a hiking trail. The trail has two

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...

markers: #675 marks a stopping place along the Noble Emigrant Trail that William Nobles established near the present-day city of Susanville, while #677 marks the spot where Peter Lassen first saw Honey Lake on October 4, 1850, while on his search for "Gold Lake".

Lassen Volcanic National Park

The trail within the park starts in the northeast corner, passing the edge of the Cinder Cone and the Fantastic Lava Beds, then skirting Prospect Peak. Crossing Badger Flats and passing through the Devastated Area associated with the May 21, 1915 eruption of Lassen Peak. The trail parallels the Lassen Park Road, then passes between the Chaos Crags and Table Mountain, across Sunflower Flat and over Nobles Pass, following the edge of the Chaos Jumbles. The trail leaves the northwest corner of the park near Manzanita Lake.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Historic trails and roads in California Hiking trails in California Roads on the National Register of Historic Places in California National Register of Historic Places in Lassen Volcanic National Park Protected areas of Lassen County, California History of Lassen County, California Protected areas of Shasta County, California Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in California National Register of Historic Places in Shasta County, California