Other Pioneer Trails
The longest and most famous trails followed by American pioneers in the 1800's were the Mormon Trail, the Oregon Trail, the California Trail and the Pony Express Trail. These and others in other parts of the country have been designated by Congress as National Historic Trails. They have been the subjects of much research to document their exact routes. Americans young and old are captivated by the stories of pioneer adventures. Much of historic fact, and much of romance has been written. These stories are worthy of study by families who treasure their past.
On some portions of their routes, the four western trails are very close together. But each follows its own unique path over long stretches. The United States National Park Service is preparing a series of Auto Tour Route Interpretive Guides for each state through which these four trails pass. These colorful illustrated booklets are available from the
National Park Service National Trails System
Intermountain Region
324 South State Street, Suite 2001, Box 30
Salt Lake City, Utah 84111
The Interpretive Guides may be downloaded. In addition, each of these four trails is the subject of its own NPS web site. Each contains general information, maps and directions. To access any of these web sites, simply click on one of the following links.
www.nps.gov/mopi (Mormon Trail)
www.nps.gov/oreg ( Oregon Trail )
www.nps.gov/cali (California Trail)
www.nps.gov/poex (Pony Express Trail)
Mormon Battalion Trail. Another great episode in pioneer history is the unique and unprecedented saga of The Mormon Battalion. Five hundred volunteers were provided by Brigham Young from the ranks of the first Latter-day Saints as they struggled heroically in the first phase of their journey to the West. Many of these gallant men left their families to travel on alone towards the mountains, while they responded to the call of the United States Government. Theirs was one of the longest sustained marches of infantry in all of history. The Mormon Battalion Trail traces the march of these soldiers through hundreds of miles of sand and sagebrush toward an unknown enemy. Brigham Young had promised if they would keep the Lord's commandments, none of these soldiers would be lost - and none were lost. They were never involved in the war into which they had been enlisted, and ultimately returned to their loved ones to help build their Zion in the "Tops of the Mountains"of the American West. CLICK HERE to read their story.
There are many other "Pioneer Trails." For further study, here are some more links to good web sites dedicated to Pioneer history. Click on them to continue your study.
Lewis and Clark Trail
(www.lewisandclark.org)
National Historic Trails Interpretive Center — Casper, Wyoming
(www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/NHTIC.html)
National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center — Baker City, Oregon
(www.blm.gov/or/oregontrail)