DOWNEY – Red Rock Pass is a geological phenomenon on the northern end of Cache Valley that may be overlooked by some who pass by it. The pass is close to Downey, Idaho on Hwy 91 at milepost 30.2. It is approximately 20 miles from Preston. The pass is about two miles wide.
There is a historical marker that marks the pass as a place where the edge of Lake Bonneville burst, sending floodwaters west into the Snake River.
At the Red Rock Pass cemetery is the headstone of Capt. Jefferson Hunt who led the Mormon Battalion in the war against Mexico from 1846 to 1848. Taken Friday Sept. 19, 2025.
To scale the hill by the highway marker there are 76 stairs to climb, leading to the top at the overview where there is an old monolith.
At one time the pass was 300 feet higher and was the shoreline of Lake Bonneville, the Pleistocene body of water that covered as much as 32,000 square miles in Northwestern Utah and Southern Idaho.
Lava flows in the vicinity of Pocatello diverted the Bear River into Lake Bonneville about 14,500 years ago. The sudden rush of water caused the huge lake to overflow at Red Rock Pass causing a catastrophic flood.
It was categorized as the second largest flood in the geological history of the world.
Today, the area is popular with geological groups mostly from area colleges and universities who come to study the remains of the huge historic forces of nature.
On the back side of the hill where the highway marker is you find a small pioneer cemetery protected with a chain linked fence. One of the prominent headstones is of Captain Jefferson Hunt, a prolific Latter-day Saint pioneer.
An inscription near his grave states: “Captain Jefferson Hunt, soldier, pioneer, and churchman. Born January 20, 1804 in Kentucky. Died May 11, 1879 in Idaho. Charles Jefferson Hunt served in the Mormon Battalion as captain of company A and as assistant executive officer in its historic march from Council Bluffs, Iowa to San Diego, California 1846-1847.
“His service on the commendation of all whom served with him. Under appointment by President Brigham Young in 1851, Captain Hunt was guide for the pioneers to San Bernardino, California. His pioneering services also included Provo, Parowan, and Huntsville {which bears his name} in Utah and Oxford, Idaho. A convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he was loyal, obedient, and faithful to the end.”
A small pioneer cemetery at Red Rock Pass in Idaho taken Friday Sept. 19, 2025.
Ann Yearsley of Swan Lake, a webmaster, compiled a list of those people who are also buried in the Red Rock Pass Cemetery.
Matilda Jane Nease born Jan. 1, 1828 died Oct. 22, 1865, Hunt’s wife. She accompanied the Mormon Battalion with her husband. Others buried in the cemetery are:
- Ellen Bada, Feb 25, 1919, died from the flu epidemic.
- Abram LaFayette Barger born May 6, 1838, died Sep. 1, 1916.
- Julia Ellen Hunt Barger born May 27, 1852, died Sep. 8, 1932.
- John Clark Criddle, – unknown.
- Artimacy Hunt born1859 – unknown
- Charles Jefferson Hunt born July 12, 1881, died Dec. 31, 1904.
- J. Frank Hunt born 1859 died 1917.
- Liberty Hunt born Aug. 16, 1884 died Aug. 10, 1898.
- Celia Pratt, unknown.
- Myrtle G. Pratt unknown.
- Syllvia Hunt Spidell, born 1882 died 1916.
Thomas Merch at Swan Lake is a great place to take a break or stop for treats, drinks and questions on the journey to Red Rock Pass. Also, motorists can pass to Downey where there are several places to stop and grab a bite to eat.