This past summer, I was asked to be part of a unique team brought
together to produce nominations of 6 high-potential route segments of
the Old Spanish National Historical Trail (OST) for the National
Register of Historic Places. Each site would be located in, and approved
by the SHPOs & THPOs, plus BLM, Forest and Park Services of each of the
states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.
What made these projects highly unusual was that of the entire 2700
mile length of the Old Spanish Trail, which is actually a network of
many trails, it was only in ONE location that we had absolute,
undisputed evidence of the trail passing by a particular point during
the period of significance. ONE documented, proven, archaeologically
unquestioned place – a short series of rock steps cut into an impossibly
steep canyon wall in Arizona. As I was the only architectural
designer/historian on the team, I watched as period historians and
archaeologists tried and failed to document this historic trail system
by traditional means.
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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.
Please fell free to contact us, and/or use these documents in your own research, with appropriate citation.