Historic Trails

50 years ago, congress passed the National Historic Trails Act.  Now, the National Park Service manages and administers 19 historic trails.  Most folks know about the Oregon Trail, arguably the most famous of the bunch.  That said, southwestern folks might disagree, claim it's the Santa Fe trail.

I was unaware of the Trails before visiting Golden Spike National Historic Site this summer.  Being a collector of NPS brochures, I gleefully liberated 4 Trails brochures there.  My collection now  numbers 92, including a few duplicates.

The California Trail is the longest at 5600 miles, followed closely by the Trail of Tears, 5045.  Selma-Montgomery is the shortest: 54 miles.  The oldest is the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, which dates back to the 16th century; it stretches from northern Mexico to New Mexico.

Several east-west trails share the same routing through the Great Plains, starting from the Missouri River between Omaha and Kansas City; Independence and St Joseph seem to have been the most popular.  The trails then follow the Platte River to various branching off points.

Learn more about the Trails at:
 https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationaltrailssystem/national-historic-trails.htm