Welcome!

This website is a collection of the DRAFT data collected for the 2011 nomination of 6 high potential route segments of the Old Spanish National Historical Trail in a contract administered by the Old Spanish Trail Association on behalf of the NPS, BLM, and USFS. SHPOs and THPOs in 6 states, as well as over 100 volunteers and stakeholders participated in this project, which included historical, ethnographic, geographic, and field research conducted by Mark Henderson and Rachel Preston Prinz. The drafts were written by Mark Henderson and edited by Rachel Prinz. This data will be submitted to the National Register once OSTA's consultant (not us) completes the MPDF. We are providing this data as a service to the OSTA membership, to the various stakeholders, and on behalf of the American people... to whom this amazing trail belongs.
Please fell free to contact us, and/or use these documents in your own research, with appropriate citation.

Narrative Descriptions

When completing the National Register Nomination Form's Narrative Statement, use the following questions as a guideline for its preparation:


  1. Describe environmental setting—natural features that have contributed to the selection of the site for the significance event, other natural features that characterize the site at the time of the significant event or activity, its present condition—and how it differs from period of significance
  2. Period of time when it is know or projected to have been occupied or used. If relevant, include comparisons with similar sites that have assisted in identification.
  3. Identify persons, ethnic groups, or archaeological cultures who, through their activities, created the archaeological property. Include comparisions with similar sites that have assisted in identification.
  4. Site type; cultural remains or other manmade evidence of the significant event or activities: features, artifacts, ecofacts; projected depth of archaeological deposits; known or projected dates for the period when the site was used with supporting evidence; vertical and horizontal distribution of features, artifacts, and ecofacts; natural and cultural processes (environmental and land use); non-contributing cultural remains;
  5. Likely appearance of the site during its periods of occupation or use; if applicable include comparisons with similar sites that have assisted in description;
  6. Current and past impacts on or immediately around the property (modern development, vandalism, road construction, agriculture, soil erosion, etc.); type and degree of alterations to natural and cultural features since significant event or activity and the impact on the historic integrity of the site). Explain how the current pysical environment and remains of the site reflect the period and associations for which the site is significant.
  7. Previous investigations of the property: archival and literature research, extent of archaeological recording—dates, researchers/affiliations, bibliographic references.
Posted by
Labels: