Independence Rock
INDEPENDENCE ROCK
INDEPENDENCE ROCK is a giant granite outcropping, polished smooth by wind, rising only 136 feet above the surrounding terrain but measuring more than a mile in circumference. Located on the north bank of Wyoming's Sweetwater River, the rock was a landmark on the Oregon Trail. Migrants heading for California and the Pacific Northwest stopped here for fresh water and trail information, and many families carved their names into the granite to commemorate their passing. The rock was approximately two-fifths of the way from the trail's origin near Independence, Minnesota, to its terminus in Oregon's Willamette River Valley.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Ellison, R. S. "Independence Rock and the Oregon Trail." Midwest Review (1927).
Lavender, David S. Westward Vision: The Story of the Oregon Trail. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1963.
Robert S.Thomas/w. p.
See alsoCovered Wagon ; Migrations, Internal ; Oregon Trail ; Wagon Trains ; Westward Migration ; Wyoming .