01Summary
Father De Smet called it 'the great register of the desert'. Reaching it by July 4th meant you were on schedule to clear the mountains before the snows.
02History
Independence Rock is a 130-foot-high granite dome on the Sweetwater River in central Wyoming, just under 6,000 feet above sea level. It is roughly 1,900 feet long and 850 feet wide, rising out of the surrounding plain like a stranded whale, visible to emigrants from miles away.
The name was in use by 1830, most likely from a William Sublette fur-trade party that camped at the rock on July 4, 1830, and it stuck. The date and the place fused: reaching the rock by July 4 became the unwritten rule of the emigrant trail. Trains that arrived later were considered 'late' and faced a real risk of being caught by snow at South Pass or in the Cascades.
Belgian Jesuit Father Pierre-Jean De Smet, who passed through in 1840, called it 'the great register of the desert'. More than 5,000 emigrant names are carved or painted on the rock, some in tar, some in axle grease, some patiently chiseled by parties spending the night at its base.
03Today
Independence Rock State Historic Site is open year-round. A short loop trail circles the base, and visitors are allowed to climb the dome.
05Stops nearby
The Oregon Trail ran roughly 2,170 miles from Independence, Missouri to Oregon City. The stops immediately before and after this one are linked below; show Independence Rock on the interactive map for the full route.