This sketch shows a wagon train moving across the desert. This sketch is Plate I in Lt. J.H. Simpson’s 1859 Journal of Explorations in Utah.
Survey of St. John River and British Settlements of New Brunswick
Expansion and Reform (1801-1861)
A National Archives Foundation educational resource using primary sources from the National Archives

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This sketch shows a wagon train moving across the desert. This sketch is Plate I in Lt. J.H. Simpson’s 1859 Journal of Explorations in Utah.
This primary source comes from the Records of the Office of the Chief of Engineers.
National Archives Identifier: 102279382
Full Citation: Crossing the Great Salt Lake Desert From Simpson’s Spring to Short Cut Pass, Granite Mountain in the distance.; 1859; Miscellaneous; Civil Works Map File, 1818 – 1947; Records of the Office of the Chief of Engineers, Record Group 77; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/document/crossing-the-great-salt-lake-desert-from-simpsons-spring-to-short-cut-pass-granite-mountain-in-the-distance/, March 25, 2026]
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