Mosquito air force attacks travellers

BEAR RIVER, IDAHO ---The Historic Trails wagon train is scheduled to spend its first full day in Idaho today, travelingalong the Bear River to Montpelier.

In 1850 William Riley Franklin wrote: Camp 47. Friday 7th. We marched about 25 miles, crossing Bear River 4 times ... Here we' found as good wild grass as grows in the world .... we encountered two serious steep rocky and stupendous mountains to descend. In descending the last one we had to let our wagons down gradually with ropes. This, though is no difficulty and annoyance to what we met with from mosquitoes and their allies. When, where and how they chase on every side in small parties of 1000 in a squad, from their rear flank and front guard. Sometimes their whole army would sally forth from among some small sage path of 100 acres or out of some deep ravine or valley and annoy us, no little without receiving any material help. This, however, might be expected as we're traveling through Mosquito Nation.

Ed win Bird, in 1854 also noted the area's mosquitoes:

This is a pure cold mountain stream and abounds with trout ... most of us went fishing and caught some fine messes of trought to knight had them for supper together with a can of Oysters which was given to our men by a trader on Green River. ..To knight we are camped in the great basin having passed over the last of the Rockey Mountains. We are also in the Banarx tribe of Indians Those are a well proportioned manly looking race. ... Misquetoes are also troublesomly thick.
Source: Wyoming Archives