Three Island Crossing earned its name from the famed mid-19th century Oregon Trail crossing. This was one of the most dangerous crossings along the trail, and numerous emigrants lost their lives trying to cross here. If you were successful during low water, you were rewarded with a shorter, much more moderate route to the Oregon border. If the water was too high to pass, you'd be forced along a more prolonged, drier, and much more treacherous route through the desert. A man named Gus Glenn eventually started a ferry a few miles upstream in 1869, at present-day Glenns Ferry.

This region is rich in both Native American and European history, and you can still see the wagon ruts along the river today. Renting an RV in Elmore County is a wonderful way to explore everything that this area has to offer, in vehicles much more suited for it than your predecessors.