The complete library of Spanish Traces front covers and a sampling of free issues for download are available HERE.
OSTA Trail Preservation Workshops Announced
The first phase of OSTA’s new Trail Steward Program will include three training workshops in the Fall 2010. The first session will be in Kanab, UT on September 10–11, 2010; the second in St. George, UT on September 17–18; the third in Mesquite, NV on October 8–9.
The workshops will feature a day of classroom instruction on Friday, followed the next day by field training.
The OSTA Trail Steward Program, when fully developed, will provide a method and process for trained volunteers to monitor the condition of designated “high-potential segments” of the Old Spanish National Historic Trail and report their findings to agencies in charge of public land through which those segments pass: the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service.
The fall workshops will focus on segments of the “Arizona Strip” section of the trail, in northern Arizona, but will also include emphasis on segments in southern Utah and southern Nevada. Funding for the first phase has been approved by BLM, and separate BLM funds have been earmarked for expansion of the program in the very near future to the other states through which the OSNHT passes: California, Colorado and New Mexico.
More information about the program is available from OSTA Manager Don Mimms, who may be phoned (719-242-8619) or e-mailed (manager@oldspanishtrail.org).
WORKSHOP ITENARY
Kanab, Utah Workshop
Dates: September 10/11 (Friday and Saturday)
Location: GSENM BLM Visitor Center
St. George, Utah
Dates: September 17/18 (Friday and Saturday) Location: BLM Field Office Conference Room
Mesquite, Nevada Dates: October 8/9 (Friday and Saturday) Location: City of Mesquite conference room
Antonio Armijo's 1830 Diary
The Old Spanish Trail linking Santa Fe, NM to the San Gabriel Mission in California was officially opened in 1829/1830 by Mexican trader Antonia Armijo.
Exploring Desert Stone: John N. Macomb's 1859 Expedition to the Canyonlands of the Colorado
Exploring Desert Stone: John N. Macomb's 1859 Expedition to the Canyonlands of the Colorado
Steven K. Madsen
Madsen’s work provides the first detailed investigation of the 1859 Macomb Expedition into western Colorado and the canyon country of Utah. Beyond his first-rate analysis, Madsen presents the most important elements of the venture’s documentary record, making this fascinating study and significant contribution to our understanding of the Southwest also a valuable resource for anyone who loves the American West.
The book contains many references to the Old Spanish Trail (eastern portion--NM, CO, UT). The mapping and scientific group followed the Main Branch of the Old Spanish Trail going out and part of the Armijo Route coming back to Santa Fe.
Macomb's beautiful map in the back pocket shows several post-1848 expedition routes, in addition to Macomb's. Mr. Madsen's text is masterfully written. His inclusion of diaries of two Macomb scientists provides reinforcement of Madsen's summary. Some superb drawings of trail features are matched to recent photos.
Original music and arrangements by American composers American Journey by Steven Sharp Nelson & Marshall McDonald and featuring the China Philharmonic Orchestra, Xun Sun, conductor. Includes the Old Spanish Suite: Sunrise, Rainstorm, March, and Celebration and four other musical selections. To order this CD, visit the Old Spanish Trail Retail Store
OSTA's Interactive Travel and Adventure Map
Our interactive map can help you plan your next travel adventure and enjoy a sampling of sites along the trail.
Old Spanish Trail Slideshow Video
Experience the Old Spanish Trail with original music from the Old Spanish Trail Suite (arrangements by American composers Steven Nelson & Marshall McDonald).
The Spanish Trail Suite composed by Marshall McDonald and Steven Sharp Nelson and performed by the Orchestra of Southern Utah has teamed with Video Ideas Production of Chattanooga, Tennessee to create a new orchestra experience combining stunning time-lapse video of storms unfolding, moon rises, sunsets and re-creations of trail scenes.
The Spanish Trail Suite was commissioned by the Orchestra of Southern Utah with help from the National Endowment of the Arts and local foundations. The composers created a piece celebrating the three cultures which settled the West along the route of trails stretching from Santa Fe to Los Angeles. The interactive project produced by Video Ideas focuses on more than 100 miles of the Trail in Iron and Washington Counties.
Brent Tom, local Paiute caller, serves as the guest soloist for the Sunrise movement. His inspired performance adds depth to the first movement which honors the local Paiute Tribe.
Spanish Traces CD Now Available!
Due to popular demand, the complete set of Spanish Traces back issues (1995-2008) is now available through the Old Spanish Trail Association.
Old Spanish Trail Mural Project - Main Street Murals of Barstow
The Old Spanish Trail was chosen as the subject of a new mural in Barstow's downtown business district. Main Street Murals developed this project as a four month, multi-curricular educational program involving 4th and 5th grade GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) program students from six schools in the Barstow area.
Master Mural Designer and Artist - David Brockhurst
Educational Project Leader - Jane Laraman-Brockhurst
GATE Program Teacher - Candice Michelson
Artist and Teacher - Kathy Fierro
The program involved a diverse schedule of workshops, presentations, field trips, making a life size mule, creative writing, and design sessions involving a broad group of local and community led organizations: Old Spanish Trail Association, Mojave River Valley Museum, Desert Discovery Centre, BLM, Barstow Public Library, MEEC, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Barstow.
The new mural was dedicated during the June 2007 Old Spanish Trail Annual Conference.
View a slideshow of the dedication ceremony.
View a full size image of the mural.
Special Reprint Book Offer! In Search of the Old Spanish Trail
Order your copy of a special reprint of this Gregory Crampton and Steve Madsen classic In Search of the Old Spanish Trail. Proceeds benefit the Old Spanish Trail Association.
Aaron Mahr named Superintendent for the Intermountain
Region’s National Trails System Program
In his new role, Aaron Mahr will manage the National Trails System program
of the Intermountain Region, with offices in Salt Lake City and Santa Fe. The program has oversight for
nine National Historic Trails (Santa Fe, Trail of Tears, El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, El Camino
Real de los Tejas, Old Spanish, Oregon, California, Pony Express, Mormon Pioneer), the Route 66
Corridor Preservation Program, and the Old Santa Fe Trail Building.
This report summarizes comments, feedback, and input received from the public in the spring
of 2006 during scoping for a proposed Comprehensive Management Plan/Environmental
Impact Statement (CMP/EIS) for the Old Spanish National Historic Trail (OSNHT). The
scoping reported here was conducted by a team of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and
National Park Service (NPS) planners, historians, archaeologists, and Native American
consultation specialists.
The Spanish Trail Suite composed by Steven Sharp Nelson and Marshall McDonald embodies the spirit of the West. Through four deeply emotional movements the piece vividly characterizes the hardship and determination of the Trail's travelers while celebrating the lives and cultures that forged the future of the West. The music of Native Americans, Spanish Explores and Pioneers all find a voice in this 30 minute epic.
The Spanish Trail Suite was commissioned by the Orchestra of Southern Utah and the National Endowment of the Arts.
On January 18, 2006, the federal government issued a Notice of Intent to develop a Comprehensive Management Plan for the Old Spanish Trail. The public process will include a series of scoping meetings in communities along the Old Spanish Trail.
December 4, 2002 - President Bush Signs Old Spanish Trail Into Law
The Old Spanish Trail is now officially designated a National Historic Trail! President George W. Bush signed S.R. 1946 on December 4, 2002, and it became Public Law 107-325 granting NHT status to the Old Spanish Trail under the National Trails System Act. This 'happening' has taken over ten years to accomplish.
The next step in the process is for the Secretary of the Interior, Gale Norton, to designate the agency (or agencies) to begin Trail administration. A comprehensive management plan (CMP) / environmental impact study will be necessary before other significant activities by the administering agency can occur. The preparation of the studies will require funding, which the designation bill does not include.
And now the cooperative work begins, by the administrating agency assigned to the Trail and by the many “friends” of the Trail, including the Old Spanish Trail Association. It will likely be a couple of years before anything is significantly noted by the general public as far as signage along the roadways identifying the route of the OST, and kiosks with OST maps and interpretation of the Trail history. In the meantime, efforts will continue by OSTA to provide brochures at visitor centers and museums to promote education about this relatively unknown but remarkably interesting trail. Explorer John C. Fremont cited this trail to be the “longest, crookedest, most arduous pack mule route in the history of America.”
November 15, 2002 - Congress Passes S.R. 1946 Old Spanish Trail Law
Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell Congratulates the Old Spanish Trail Association
The Old Spanish Trail system is about to be recognized for what you and so many other trail enthusiasts have known all along - that it is a nationally historic trail worthy of federal designation. As a Westerner who likes a colorful tale as much as any, I have researched the history of this network of trails over the past several years. Widely known as the longest, most crooked, most arduous pack mule route system in the history of America, it is an important part of our national heritage.
I commend the work you have done through the Old Spanish Trail Association to preserve the trail for future generations and to raise public awareness of our diverse cultural heritage in the region by studying the trail.
Efforts made on the state level have also been significant. The Colorado division of the Bureau of Land Management worked on documenting and interpreting the route with local communities, such as Mesa County and the City of Grand Junction. In 1993, Colorado's State Parks Board of the Department of Natural Resources passed a resolution encouraging federal designation of the northern branch of the Old Spanish Trail, which is located near Grand Junction.
I was able to further the progress made at the local and state level in 1995 when I commissioned a study by the Department of the Interior to determine whether the Old Spanish Trail should be designated as a National Historic Trail. Based on the findings of that study, I introduced the Old Spanish Trail Recognition Act of 2002. This legislation is expected to be enacted into law by President George W. Bush before the close of the year.
The federal designation will help pay tribute to the cultures that are thousands of years old and have enriched America. It will also celebrate the many folks who populated the Old West and laid the foundation for how we live today.
This federal designation would not have been possible absent your support. There is no substitute for people who care deeply about the trail and can help others appreciate it. This law is an endeavor ten years in the making, and one well worth our time. Congratulations one and all for a job well done
Signed Ben Nighthorse Campbell, November 25, 2005
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Click here to become a card partner and request your personalized No Annual Fee Old Spanish National Historic Trail Visa Card
