'Rut nuts' hunt for traces of old wagon trail

Members of the Utah chapter of the Oregon-California Trails Association got a little taste Saturday of what early travelers experienced as they traversed the Virgin Valley on their way to and from California. The history buffs followed Leo Lyman, a historian who has written two books on the overland trail, or the Southern Route, between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. It is one of the toughest of western trails, Lyman said, and the Virgin Valley section is the most difficult part of the journey. Travelers came from Cedar City to Mountain Meadows, then down the Utah Hill to Beaver Dam, following the winding course of the Virgin River. It was a treacherous route along the river, Lyman told about 30 members of OCTA and half-dozen people from Mesquite. “The wagons crossed the river 12 times between here and Littlefield,” he said, as the group (they call themselves “rut nuts”) looked over the valley about six miles downstream from Bunkerville. “Quicksand was a huge problem, and wagons were lost. There are still wagons under that mud.”...read more