It is believed that the oldest trail crossing in the Casper area is at the site now called Bessemer Bend, though the name Bessemer is wholly modern and is derived from the now-vanished town of that name once located there. After passing through the city of Casper the original Oregon Trail roughly followed current Highway 220 out of town to the Bessemer Bend turnoff. With Red Buttes looming above, the trail crossed very near the current bridge in the bend and headed due west along the county road before turning southwest along the east bank of Iron Creek. At the Iron Creek crossing this route merges with the trail route from Emigrant Gap which was a later development. 1844- James Clyman- Aug. 12:" Moved up the river 4 miles to the place whare we leave the river and cross over the red Bute mountain and encamped a few miles below the Kenyon the cliffs on this Kenyon are for more than halfway up of a fine deep brick red apparently of burned Slate and marly dry clay. " Traveling east in 1846 Clyman left us with a wonderful description of that year's emigration crossing at Bessemer Bend on June 23: "Early on our saddles and in about 3 hours we met the advance company of oregon Emigration consisting of Eleven wagons nearly opposite the red Butes; when we came in sight of N. Platte we had the Pleasant sight of Beholding the valy to a greate distance dotted with Peopl Horses cattle wagons and Tents their being 30 wagons all Busily engaged in crossing the River which was found not to be fordable and with the poor material they had to make rafts of it took two trips to carry over one wagon with its lading we however ware not long in crossing as we threw our baggage on the returning rafts and swam our animals over and encamped once more in the Buisy humm of our own Language." June 24:" Down the N. Platte and during the day we passed three small companies some for Oregon some for California. It is remarkable how anxious these people are to hear from the Pacific country and strange that so many of all kinds and classes of People should sell out comfortable homes in Missouri and Elsewhere pack up and start across such an emmence Barren waste to settle in some new Place of which they have at most so uncertain information, but this is the character of my countrymen."