The Oregon Trail|SW IDAHO~Canyon Creek to The Kelton Ramp above the Boise River

[Sawtooth]

Memorial Day Weekend, 2013. A friend and I drove the path of the Oregon Trail from the Mountain Home area east of Boise heading westwards towards Boise, about a 45 mile jaunt. The photos begin at Canyon Creek and end at the rim above the Boise River. This section of the Oregon Trail follows along the base of the foothills of the Boise and Danskin Mountains which rise to the north.

This BLM link has information about stops along the route. This section begins on page 28, Mile 10.3 of the pdf.

http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/medial...CTAbooklet.pdf



The path of the Trail in this thread is indicated in the center of this photo and between my sloppy star ink blots on the state map






Music to set the mood.

• Video Link





Enjoy




















Thanks for the splattering, birds





















































































































Heading West. The view is from a hill above Canyon Creek






























CCC camp built in the 1930's
















































The desert was covered with these wildflowers



















Interesting rock formations and most likely a good hiding spot for Native Americans to watch the white people ramble on by.























































Ditto Creek










































Looking back towards Canyon Creek.









My Subaru posing in the Idaho Outback.




























































leftovers from the feast of a wolf or coyote? There are wolf packs in the Danskin and Boise Mountains just north of this location










Bowns Creek































looking south










Heading into Mayfield. We are about 18 road miles east of Boise and half of that distance in sky miles. Mayfield did not exist during the days of the Oregon Trail, but rather came into its own around 1915 and became a "ghost town" in the 1960's. Before Mayfield came to be, this valley was popular for the local Indians and there are accounts of attacks on wagon trains on the Oregon Trail.






















































































































































Another southward view




















Leaving Mayfield and on to Bonneville Point east of Boise



















































































Bonneville Point with views of the Boise River Valley and of course, Boise















































































































Looking Southwest. Boise is to the right of center.











Southeast at the approaching storm. The Owyhee Mountains are hidden by the clouds.





























7 miles east from Bonneville Point is the rim above the Boise River and The Kelton Ramp which was/is a man made route down the basalt rock rim to the lush river valley. This area is downstream from the much higher canyon walls of the Boise River Canyon.

















































The Kelton Ramp.
from the City of Boise, Oregon Trail Reserve website:
"The Kelton ramp is located about 500 feet NW of Highway 21 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The ramp dates back to the early 1860s. It is a rock cut through the basalt rim between the second and third terraces above the Boise River."
http://parks.cityofboise.org/parks-l...trail-reserve/








































Down the Ramp





















I hope to post another thread soon of the Oregon Trail from the canyon rim through the city of Boise and downtown into The Northend.