The Road to "Fortune ":
THE SALT LAKE CUTOFF BY
L . A. F L E M I N G A N D A. R. S T A N D I N G
INTRODUCTION
Both of us have had a lifelong interest in western history. This has led us along paths where information about the Old West can be obtained. These byways have included talks with a few remnant pioneers we knew in boyhood, or with first generation descendants of pioneers; reading numerous printed journals, books, and magazine articles on western history; personal visits to many places connected with pioneer events; and enjoying many days finding and retracing hundreds of miles of western trails, from Chimney Rock in Nebraska to the Sierra Nevada Mountains, by pickup truck or on foot. Each bit of information obtained fanned our zeal to learn more and added to our appreciation of the hardy, courageous people who made the history. O u r major objective in writing about old trails is to describe where they can be found and to record data about them that is rapidly being lost. As we have hunted for the trails, we have been amazed and alarmed by the scarcity of accurate information, considering the relatively short time since they were in almost daily use. Most of the people who had first-hand information have passed away, and the few who are now living will not be with us long. T h e trails can still be found, but like memories of them, they are growing dim. It is regrettable that much more was not recorded about all old trails while knowledge was fresh and accurate. L. A. Fleming, a resident of Ogden, was born in southern Nevada. He attended the University of Nevada, and for the past 36 years has been affiliated with the Post Office Department, Postal Transportation Service. A. R. Standing was born and reared at Brigham City, Utah. He is a graduate of U t a h State University, and spent 41 years in the U.S. Forest Service in the Intermountain and Pacific Regions. Mr. Standing is president and Mr. Fleming vice-president of the Weber Valley Chapter of the U t a h State Historical Society. T h e photographs for this article were furnished by the authors.
