Cholera outbreaks and pandemics
That year, cholera was transmitted along the California, Mormon and Oregon Trails as 6,000 to 12,000 are believed to have died on their way to the California Gold Rush, Utah and Oregon in the cholera years of 1849–1855. It is believed more than 150,000 Americans died during the two pandemics between 1832 and 1849.
Whitehorse Trail
An unfinished section of the trail was destroyed during the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014, along with State Route 530. In the aftermath of the mudslide, which killed 43 people, the Whitehorse Trail became a key project in the recovery of the area, employing local workers and drawing tourists. A $75,000 grant from the State of Washington, along with private donations, funded the cleanup of of the trail and repair of older bridges. A segment of the Whitehorse Trail from Oso to Cicero Pond will be completed in 2018, using $4.24 million in funds from the county government, Washington State Department of Transportation and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Rebuilding of the section destroyed by the Oso mudslide was completed in 2016, using FEMA funds.