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.

Trail Characteristics by Category


Water Resource Property Types
abajo - downstream
agua de – headwater
aguage - water hole
arroyo - wide intermittent drainage with inset bed – suitable for pack trail
“Arroyo de los Hayatas” – Mohave River
boca del - mouth of
cienega - marsh
hedionda - stinking [sulpherous]
“Canon de agua hedionda” – Pah Tempe Springs
laguna - lagoon, pond
ojito - spring source, seep usually in lateral or side slope
rio - river
rito - stream, small river
“Rito del canon de la ceja”; stream in the canyon of the ridge; Paria River
salado - salty
“Arroyo salado”
salitroso - very salty
“Rio salitroso” - Salt Creek
vado - ford, crossing
“Vado de los Padres”

 Topography Property Types
artenesales de piedra - Crafted stone [ Comb Ridge]
artenejal - sculpted, crafted, worked
 “Artenejal de la ceja Colorado” – Cockscomb
bajada - descent
canada - gentle sloped narrow drainage pack trail w/ easily ascended laterals
canon - Steep walled gorge – difficult or impossible to ascend laterals
canoncito - short steep walled canyon with periodic ascents and descents
“Canoncito del arroyo de Chelli” – steep, short canyon with drainage suitable for packtrail
ceja - ridge, brow
fragoso - rough, craggy trail
laguna sin agua - dry lake, playa
llano - plain
“Llano del Coyote” – Pipe Valley
mesa - tableland
milpitas - little corn fields
montuosa - wooded mountain slopes
“La ceja montuosa” – Buckskin Ridge
picacho - pinnacle, peak
Pueblo Colorado - red house rock [red top?]
puerto - opening, pass through, saddle
punta - point, headland

sierra - mountain, mountain range
subido - ascent

Substrate Property Types
caloso - limey, caliche
“Canon Caloso” – un-named west of Canaan Gap
malpais - bad country, lava field

Travel Property Types
camino – road
cruzamos – (we) crossed, crossing
huella - track
jornada - day’s trip
“Jornada sin agua” – Day’s trip without water
parage/paraje- camp site, camp ground
“Parage de San Jose”
pueblos - small towns
“Pueblos de Cucha Payuches y Hayatas” – perm. Settlement of Chemehuevi and Mohave
rancheria - settlement with impermanent structures
“Rancheria de Navajoes”-
“Rancheria de Payuches”-
“Rancheria de indios con zarcillos en las narices”-
rancho - farm settlement
“Rancho San Bernardino” – mission farm
vieja - witches cap rock formation
“Agua de la vieja” – headwater at the witches cap – Moccasin Springs or Pipe Springs