ʌnwˈɪlɪŋ tə wˈeɪt fɚðə slˈoʊmˈuːvɪŋ fˈɛdɚɹəl ɡˈʌvɚnmənt tʊ ˈækt, ænd ɪn ˈɔːɹdɚ tʊ ɐtɹˈækt wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd fˈɪfti θɹˈiː ˈɛmɪɡɹənts ɔːlɹˌɛdi ɑːn ɹˈuːt, ðə sˈɪɾɪzənz ʌv pjˈuːɡɪt sˈaʊnd kəlˈɛktᵻd fˈʌndz tə sˈɛnd ˈɛdwɚd dʒˈeɪ ˈælən, dʒˈɑːn ˈɛdɡɚ, dʒˈɔːɹdʒ ʃˈeɪzɚ ænd wˈɪtfiːld kˈɜːtli ˌɪntʊ ðə fˈiːld tə sɚvˈeɪ ðə nˈæʃᵻz pˈæs ɹˈaʊt tə dɪtˈɜːmɪn ɪts sˌuːɾəbˈɪlᵻɾi æz ɐ wˈæɡən ɹˈoʊd.
Unwilling to wait for the slow-moving federal government to act, and in order to attract 1853 emigrants already en route, the citizens of Puget Sound collected funds to send Edward Jay Allen, John Edgar, George Shazer and Whitfield Kirtley into the field to survey the Naches Pass route to determine its suitability as a wagon road.