Dead Horse Gulch

Dead Horse Gulch was so named because of the skeletons of pack horses found nearby. Horses from military and supply expeditions were taken over extremely hazardous routes where horse and man were in constant danger of falling several thousand feet down the mountainside. Military expeditions reported the average life of a pack horse on this trail was anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. The animals soon fell victim to a strange disease. Horses that were carrying large packs would suddenly stop in their tracks, totally exhausted. No cure was known for this and the animals were usually shot. In one incident an Indian guide had been so terrified that he was unable to lead the white men further down the trail. One expedition failed when kerosene leaked into the horses’ feed and the animals would not eat it. The men could not take the odor out of the oats so they saturated gunny sacks with kerosene and rubbed the animals down with them. Unable to detect any odor in the oats, the horses finally ate.