Come join me on a tour of several historic American trails! Along the way, I'll show you some photos from my scrapbook and relate a few personal experiences I've had on my own treks out West. Then I'll point you toward a number of useful links. These Web sites are among the best I've found over the past couple of years. Each contains tons of useful information to help you learn more about these trails and to plan fascinating vacations of your own. But after checking those sites out, be sure to return here to continue!
Exploring the Trails Today
Human trails are an important part of the prairie experience. Walking their remnants today gives you a chance to soak in the geography, geology and wildlife of the area, while contemplating what it must have been like 150 years ago crossing an entire continent by foot. Six different trails are covered here, as indicated in the Trail Selector at the right. (For convenience I've combined the Oregon, Mormon and California Trails since they hugged each other through much of the Great Plains.) Click on any one of them to go to that section immediately. Or if you'd prefer to read this entire Web site sequentially, like you might a book, use the big blue arrows at the bottom to navigate back and forth one page at a time.
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Trail Selector |
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Lewis & Clark Trail |
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Oregon, Mormon and California Trails |
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Pony Express Trail |
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Santa Fe Trail |
I have lots of neat photographs to show you, but to take pity on your modem, bandwidth and patience, I've done the following. In the pages after this, most photos are shown in thumbnail (reduced size) format. If you'd like to see the real thing, just click the thumbnail. This will enlarge the picture to its normal size. I hope you'll take time to do this; the photos are pretty cool, if I say so myself!
Free Info from the Government
Before turning you loose on the trail that most interests you, let me draw your attention to a couple of resources that apply to all of them. First, our federal government publishes a number of wonderful fold-out maps and guides to the various trails; see the picture to the left. These are produced and funded by agencies such as the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, etc. I can't say enough about the quality of these maps; the artwork, photography and printing is outstanding. You'll want them not only to guide you as you search out a trail, but as a keepsake and memento of your trip. You can often find these at park visitor centers and various interstate highway rest stops (like the one described below). And get this — they're free! By the way, you can always click the [footnote] link when I show pictures of souvenirs I've collected on the road; this will give you the full publishing details of the items displayed. I like showing you things from my collection, but want to make sure you know who deserves the credit for them.
The Western Historic Trails Center
Next, you won't want to miss the Western Historic Trails Center at Council Bluffs, Iowa. If you scope out the map above, you'll note that this town is situated smack-dab on the confluence of the Lewis & Clark, Oregon, Mormon and California Trails. The Center has exhibits on all four of these. This fabulous resource was designed and built by the National Park Service, opened in 1997 and is owned and operated by The State Historical Society of Iowa. Note also that it serves as a traditional "Iowa Welcome Center," with restrooms, maps and the usual tourist information available.
The Center, built on the banks of the Missouri River, features educational exhibits, maps and films, along with sculpture and photography by notable artists. The grounds have been beautifully planted with native grasses and flowers. Also of interest is the well-stocked museum store featuring books and items relating to the West.
The Western Historic Trails Center is located in Council Bluffs on 24th Street, south of I-80 (exit 1B) across from the Bluffs Run Track and Casino. It's open most days of the year, but be sure to check the days and hours before planning your own expedition. (See the links below)
