Fandango Pass
| Fandango Pass | |
|---|---|
East side of Fandango Pass above Surprise Valley
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| Elevation | 6,135 ft (1,870 m) |
| Traversed by |
 CR 9 |
| Location |
Modoc National Forest, Modoc County, California, United States |
| Range | Warner Mountains |
| Coordinates | 41°48′08″N 120°12′25″W / 41.8021136°N 120.206895°WCoordinates: 41°48′08″N 120°12′25″W / 41.8021136°N 120.206895°W |
 Location in California
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| Official name | Applegate-Lassen Emigrant Trail (Fandango Pass) |
| Designated | July 15, 1956 |
| Reference no. | 546 |
The Fandango Pass (previously Lassen Pass; variants Lassen Cut-off, Lassen Horn) is a gap in the Warner Mountains of Modoc County, California, USA. Located in the Modoc National Forest, its elevation is 6,135 feet (1,870 m) above sea level. It is approximately 5 mi (8.0 km) southwest of Fort Bidwell.
Fandango Pass was historically notable for its location as the convergence of two trails, the Applegate and the Lassen, that were traveled by emigrant pioneers between 1846 and 1850. The pass can now be traversed on a 10 mi (16 km) section of graded gravel, 1.5 lanes wide. It is closed during winter storms.
The mountain pass was located at a convergence of two trails, the Applegate and the Lassen, that were traveled by emigrant pioneers between 1846 and 1850. The Applegate Trail, originally intended as a less dangerous route to the Oregon Territory, was established in 1846 by the Applegate brothers and Levi Scott, and ran through today's U.S. states of Idaho, Nevada, California, and Oregon. The Lassen Horn Trail was established by Peter Lassen two years later and ran south at Goose Lake towards California Gold Rush mines and settlements. Though the pass was extensively traversed from 1848 until 1853, its importance declined after 1869 with the opening of the Cedar Pass wagon road.
To reach the pass, the emigrants had to cross or bypass Upper Alkali Lake in order to reach the Warner Mountains which is located to the west of the lake. The historic cutoff, part of the California Trail, required passing through Rabbithole Springs, crossing the Black Rock Desert and High Rock Canyon before finally arriving at Surprise Valley, a journey of approximately 100 miles (160 km) of desert travel. From here, the trail climbs steeply to reach the pass, gaining about 1,600 ft (490 m) in about 2 mi (3.2 km). From the summit, the trail descended steeply into the southeast end of Fandango Valley by Goose Lake on the Oregon-California border. The Fandango Pass trail section is visible on the eastern side of the summit.
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Wikipedia