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Fording the Green
26 miles southwest of Farson on State Highway 28
Although it was a surging torrent from spring until after mid-summer, Green River flowed moderately in late summer and autumn. Low water allowed wagon trains to ford the river, thus avoiding the expense and delays of ferry crossing. Emigrants who were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and freighters bound for Utah typically arrived here in late summer and early autumn. A few late summer emigrants headed for California on the Salt Lake Road also arrived here during low water. Several good fording places dotted the banks of the Green River from here downstream for seven miles. Trail variants connected the main road to crossing points. Low banks and a gravelly bottom made certain places ideal for driving wagons and herding livestock across the river.

To prepare for fording, the emigrants sometimes raised their wagon beds and coated them with tar to keep the contents dry. Usually people rode in the wagons while the animals hauled them through the water, but some handcart emigrants pulled their two-wheeled vehicles across. After crossing, the emigrants and freighters rejoined the road which ran down the west side of the river.

In times of high water, fording could be dangerous. Some invited disaster by attempting to ford when the current was too strong. The river swept people, wagons, and animals downstream. Wagons sometimes capsized. Drownings were not uncommon. Horses or oxen occasionally lost their footing, toppling riders or wagons. The river was extremely cold in late autumn.
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