Prior to 1859, overland travelers leaving Salt Lake City for California had but two alternatives. They could go north into Idaho, then turn southwest and follow the Humboldt River into northern California, or they could head south, following segments of the Old Spanish Trail, and enter southern California. Both routes were long and tortuous. In the summer of 1859, Captain James Simpson blazed a more direct trail by leading an expedition across the desert. Simpson s is the route the Pony Express and the Overland Stage adopted. But emigrants in covered wagons also traveled the Central Overland...