| The trail was still
in use during the
Civil War, but traffic declined after 1869 when the
transcontinental railroad was completed. However, in its more than 25
years of regular use, the trail caried an estimated 300,000 emigrants
to the vast west, a trip that took about five months to complete. The trail continued to be used into the 1890s, when modern highways
began to take its place, eventually paralleling large portions of the
trail. Today, U.S. Highway 26 follows the
Oregon Trail for much
of its length. Some of the
original route from our nation's early days still remain today as
reminders of our historic past. The
Oregon
National Historic Trail is an extended trail that follows much of the
original path of the
Oregon
Trail.
In 1968, Congress enacted the National
Trails System Act and in 1978, National Historic Trail designations
were added. The National Historic Trails System commemorates these
historic routes and promotes their preservation, interpretation and
appreciation.
In 1995, the
National
Park Service
established the National Trails System Office in Salt Lake City,
Utah.
The Salt Lake City Trails Office administers the
Oregon,
the
California, the Mormon Pioneer and the
Pony Express
National Historic Trails
The National Trails System does not
manage trail resources on a day-to-day basis. The responsibility for
managing trail resources remains in the hands of the current trail
managers at the federal, state, local and private levels.
National Historic Trails recognize
diverse facets of history such as prominent past routes of
exploration, migration, trade, communication and military action. The
historic trails generally consist of remnant sites and trail segments,
and thus are not necessarily contiguous.
Contact Information:
National Trails
System Office
P.O. Box 45155
Salt Lake City,
Utah
84145-0155
(801) 741-1012 |
|
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