Odd Fellows Rocks at Devil’s Ladder & Grave of the Unknown Pioneer

A safer route

The Carson River Route traverses the Sierra Nevada Mountains connecting Carson Valley, Nevada, to goldfields in California. Pioneers searching for a safer route across the treacherous and snowy range developed the trail after the disaster of the Donner-Reed Party.

Over one hundred seventy years later, you can follow much of the original Carson River Route. An astute explorer can observe the evidence left by the pioneers.

Devil’s Ladder

Carson Pass was the highest point California-bound emigrants traversed on their journey west. The steepest slope they encountered connected Red Lake in the east to Carson Pass in the west.

The section of the trail became known as “Devil’s Ladder” and was a topic in nearly every westbound emigrant journal. Devil’s Ladder seems impossibly steep, and emigrants resorted to using block and tackle to haul their wagons up the swale. However, despite the difficulty, over 250 wagons were often waiting their turn to ascend Devil’s Ladder in its heyday.

…just ahead was a wall several thousand feet high which had to be climbed to get out of this valley….come to the conclusion this was the end of the road…It was called Devil’s Ladder.

Emigrant Trails

Odd Fellows Rocks

Emigrants were overjoyed to conquer the notorious Devil’s Ladder, many leaving their mark to denote the ascent. In 1849, a group of Odd Fellows left proof of their passage on a group of boulders.

In 1941, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows dedicated a memorial at the rocks.

The Unknown Pioneer

One emigrant was not so fortunate. His name and story remain a mystery. He was buried at the top of Devil’s Ladder in an unmarked grave. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows erected a monument to “The Unknown Pioneer” in 1950, one hundred years after his death.

I visited Devil’s Ladder with Hubby, Bob, and our guide for the day, Stephen. We followed the Carson River Route of the Emigrant Trail, starting in Woodfords and ending at Tragedy Springs and The Real Maiden’s Grave.

I was hiking Devil’s Ladder when a lightning storm started. I ran up Devil’s Ladder as the skies opened in a downpour.

Visited 8-16-2020

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References

• Carson Pass: Historic Sites of Carson Pass
• Fey, Marshall. Emigrant Trails: The Long Road to California, A history and Guide to the Emigrant Routes from Central Nevada to Crossing the Sierra. Nevada Publication, 2019. Pages 163-165.
• Haerr Tripping: Carson Pass History Walk
• Hastings, Lansford W. The 1845 Poineers’ Guide for the Westward Travler: The Emigrants’ Guide to Oregon and California. Applewood Books, 1845.
• Historical Marker Data Base: Memorial to Pioneer Odd Fellows
• Sacramento Valley: Devil’s Ladder at Carson Pass: A Hidden Historic Gem
• Tortorich, Frank Jr. Gold Rush Trail: A guide to the Carson River Route of the Emigrant Trail. Wagon Wheel Tours, 1998. Pages 32-43.

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