The 100-Foot Wyoming Cliff Covered with Pioneer Notes & Signatures from the 1800s

Register Cliff, Wyoming

Register Cliff stands like a giant guest book made of stone. For over two decades, wagon trains rolled past this Wyoming landmark, and travelers couldn’t resist adding their names to the growing collection. Here’s a peek at how it happened.

Register Cliff

Register Cliff rises 100 feet above the North Platte River Valley near Guernsey, Wyoming.

Nature created this cliff thousands of years ago when the North Platte River cut through layers of soft rock. The result became a perfect natural guestbook for travelers. Most pioneers knew it as Register Rock or Sand Point Station.

For weary emigrants, this landmark meant they remained on the correct path toward distant Oregon, California, or Utah territories.

The First Inscriptions By Fur Traders

A French fur trader carved “1829 This July 14” into Register Cliff, likely celebrating Bastille Day while working in the western wilderness.

These trappers sought beaver pelts for fashionable hats worn in eastern cities and European capitals.

Historical records mention even earlier inscriptions from 1797, though weather and time erased these oldest marks from the soft limestone surface.

A Critical Landmark On The Oregon Trail

Missing this landmark could send wagon trains into impassable mountain terrain where death awaited.

The cliff marked the eastern approach to the Continental Divide. Emigrants who spotted it knew they remained on track toward South Pass, the crucial gap through the Rocky Mountains.

Register Cliff also formed the first of Wyoming’s three famous “emigrant registers.” The others—Independence Rock and Names Hill—stood further west along the trail.

For exhausted travelers just departed from Fort Laramie, this cliff meant safety and certainty in dangerous territory.

The Perfect Pioneer Rest Stop

Wagon trains reached Register Cliff after one day’s travel from Fort Laramie, and most stopped for a day or two, making it their first camp west of the fort. The lush grass fed hungry oxen and horses while the North Platte provided fresh water.

Peak Years Of Emigrant Signatures

Most visible names today date from the 1840s and 1850s when Oregon Trail traffic reached its height. Between 1843 and 1869, some 500,000 people traveled the overland trails seeking new lives out west.

The signatures reveal patterns of migration across America. Ohio appears most frequently among the carvings, showing how many Midwesterners joined the westward movement.

Over 700 names remain legible on the cliff despite 170 years of weathering.

The Unthank Family Legacy

Alvah Hunt Unthank carved “A.H. Unthank” on June 23, 1850. The 19-year-old from Indiana headed toward California’s gold fields with dreams of striking it rich. Nine days later, Alvah died of cholera.

His grave still exists near present-day Glenrock, marking a journey permanently cut short. The Unthank name continued at Register Cliff across generations, and Alvah’s cousin, Oliver Nixon Unthank, added “O.N. Unthank” below Alvah’s in 1869.

This family connection extended when Oliver’s son, Oliver Brandon Unthank, added “O.B. Unthank 1931,” creating a three-generation legacy spanning 81 years.

Tragedy Along The Trail

One in ten emigrants died during the westward journey. This staggering death rate meant 5,000 people perished along the Oregon Trail, with many in unmarked graves. Cholera killed more pioneers than any other cause.

The bacterial disease spread through contaminated water at crowded campsites, causing death within hours. Three unknown emigrants lie buried in the small cemetery at Register Cliff’s base.

Their graves represent countless others who never completed their journey. Some cliff inscriptions memorialize those lost along the way, becoming permanent monuments to loved ones buried somewhere across the vast plains.

The Trading Post And Pony Express

A small trading post operated near the cliff during peak emigration years. Two entrepreneurs named Ward and Gurrier sold supplies to travelers who had depleted their stocks since Fort Laramie.

In 1861, the site gained new importance as a Pony Express stop. Riders changed horses here while racing mail across the continent at unprecedented speed. The Pony Express lasted only 18 months before telegraph lines made it obsolete.

After this brief but legendary period, the site became a stage station for overland coach lines. The trading post structure vanished long ago. Only the chimney foundation remains as evidence of this bustling frontier business.

Preservation As A Historic Site

Henry Frederick donated Register Cliff to Wyoming in 1932. Frederick specifically requested the state preserve it as a memorial to pioneer spirit.

In 1970, Register Cliff joined the National Register of Historic Places, and today, Guernsey State Park manages the site.

The Neighboring Oregon Trail Ruts

Just west of Register Cliff lies another remarkable Oregon Trail landmark. The Guernsey Ruts cut five feet deep into solid sandstone—permanent scars from thousands of wagon wheels.

The terrain forced every wagon to follow exactly the same path over a ridge. Year after year, iron-rimmed wheels carved deeper into the stone. These ruts remain the most dramatic wagon tracks found anywhere along the entire 2,170-mile Oregon Trail.

The federal government recognized this exceptional site by declaring it a National Historic Landmark in 1966, four years before Register Cliff received similar recognition.

Visiting Register Cliff

Register Cliff sits three miles south of Guernsey. A walkway runs along the cliff base allowing visitors to examine pioneer signatures up close.

The nearby Oregon Trail Ruts, just a few miles away, make an excellent combined visit for anyone interested in authentic frontier history.

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