On August 5, 1851, P.V. Crawford recorded that after three miles of very hilly road, travelers reached Bowns Creek, where they found plenty of water and grass and brush for firewood, and halted to rest until 1 o'clock in the afternoon after having had no water since leaving Barrel creek. Bowns Creek was another camping area, though in most years it provided little water. The Trail followed down the creek for a mile before continuing north. A large granite boulder close to the Trail became an emigrant post office as many people wrote their names on the rock in axle grease, and although weathered by the elements, some of those names remain visible after more than 150 years.