The Old Spanish Trail | |
 The route of the Old Spanish Trail. | |
| Location | Santa Fe, NM–Los Angeles, CA |
|---|---|
| NRHP reference No. | 88001181 (original) 01000863 (increase 1) 08000229 (increase 2) |
| MARKERS No. | 31, 32, 33, 34, 139, 140, 141, 142 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | Utah: October 6, 1988 |
| Boundary increases | Nevada: August 22, 2001 Nevada: March 21, 2008 |
TheOld Spanish Trail (Spanish:Viejo Sendero Español) is a historictrade route that connected theNuevo México settlements of (or near)Santa Fe with those ofLos Angeles and the rest ofAlta California. Approximately 700 mi (1,100 km) long, the trail ran through areas of high mountains, arid deserts, and deep canyons. It is considered one of the most arduous of all trade routes ever established in the United States. Explored, in part, by Spanish explorers as early as the late 16th century, the trail was extensively used by traders withpack trains from about 1830 until the mid-1850s. The area was part of Mexico fromMexican independence in 1821 to theMexican Cession to the United States in 1848.
The name of the trail comes from the publication ofJohn C. Frémont's Report of his 1844 journey (which crossed into Mexico) for theU.S. Topographical Corps, guided byKit Carson, from California to New Mexico. The name acknowledges that parts of the trail had been known and used by theSpanish since the 16th century.[1][2] Frémont's report identified a trail that had already been used for about 15 years. The trail is important to New Mexico history because it established an arduous but usable trade route with California.[3]
In 2002 this trail was designated by Congress as part of theNational Trails System asOld Spanish National Historic Trail.
The trail is a combination of a network of trails first established by indigenous people and later used by Spanish explorers, trappers, and traders with theUte and other indigenous tribes. The eastern parts of what became called the Old Spanish Trail, including southwestColorado and southeastUtah, were explored byJuan Maria de Rivera in 1765.Franciscan missionariesFrancisco Atanasio Domínguez andSilvestre Vélez de Escalante unsuccessfully attempted the trip toCalifornia, which was just being settled, leaving Santa Fe in 1776 and making it to theGreat Basin nearUtah Lake before returning via theArizona Strip. Other expeditions, under another Franciscan missionary,Francisco Garcés, and CaptainJuan Bautista de Anza, explored and traded in the southern part of the region. They found shorter and less arduous routes through the mountains and deserts that connected Sonora to New Mexico and California, but these did not become part of the Old Spanish Trail, with the exception of some of the paths through theMojave Desert.[4] TheMohave Trail was first traveled by Garcés from theMohave villages on theColorado River westward across the Mojave Desert, between desert springs, until he turned northwestward to theOld Tejon Pass into theSan Joaquin Valley, looking for a route to Monterey. Garcés returned to the Colorado River by following the whole length of the Mohave Trail from theSan Bernardino Valley, over theSan Bernardino Mountains atMonument Peak, down theMojave River and eastward to the Colorado River. This same trail was used by the first Americans to reach California by land, via the expedition led byJedediah Smith in November 1826.[5] The Mojave desert section of the Mohave Trail is now a 4WD trail called theMojave Road.
A route linkingNew Mexico toCalifornia, combining information from many explorers, was opened in 1829-30 whenSanta Fe merchantAntonio Armijo led a trade party of 60 men and a caravan of mules to Alta California. Armijo's group blazed a trade route using a network of indigenous routes, incorporating parts of Jedediah Smith's routes of 1826 and 1827, and Rafael Rivera's route of 1828 to theSan Gabriel Mission through the Mojave along theMojave River. Armijo documented his route in a report to the governor, and this was published by the Mexican government in June 1830.[6]
After this date, traders generally used the trail for a single, annual round trip.[7] Word spread about Armijo's successful trade expedition, and some commerce began between Santa Fe and Los Angeles. However, in 1830, due to resumed hostilities with theNavajo, the Armijo route west to the Colorado RiverCrossing of the Fathers was not practical. A new route north of the river had to be found, which used the trails of the fur traders and trappers of New Mexico through the lands of the Ute. This route ran northwest to the Colorado andGreen rivers, then crossed over to theSevier River, which it followed until crossing westward over mountains to the vicinity ofParowan, Utah. It passed southward to the Santa Clara River, linking up with Armijo's route to California.
This commerce usually consisted of one mule pack train from Santa Fe with 20 to 200 members, with roughly twice as many mules, bringing New Mexican goods hand-woven by Indians, such as serapes and blankets, to California. California had many horses and mules, many growing wild, with no local market, which were readily traded for hand-woven Indian products. Usually two blankets were traded for one horse; more blankets were usually required for a mule, which were considered hardier. California had almost no wool-processing industry and few weavers, so woven products were a welcome commodity. The trading party usually left New Mexico in early November to take advantage of winter rains to cross the deserts on the trail and would arrive in California in early February. The return party would usually leave California for New Mexico in early April to get over the trail before the water holes dried up and the melting snow raised the rivers too high. The return party often drove several hundred to a few thousand horses and mules.
Low-scale emigration from New Mexico to California used parts of the trail in the late 1830s when the trapping trade began to die. New Mexicans migrated to settle in Alta California by this route: some first settled inPolitana then established the twin settlements ofAgua Mansa andLa Placita on theSanta Ana River the first towns in what becameSan Bernardino andRiverside counties. The family of Antonio Armijo moved to Alta California, where his father acquired theRancho Tolenas. A number of Americans, most naturalized Mexican citizens in New Mexico, and formerly in the California trade over the Old Spanish Trail or in the fur trade, settled in Alta California. Several became influential residents in later years, such asLouis Rubidoux,John A. Rowland,William Workman,Benjamin Davis Wilson, andWilliam Wolfskill.
The trail was also used for illicit purposes. Some raiders attacked the California ranchos for horses and captives to sell in the extensive Indian slave trade. Mexicans, ex-trappers and Indian tribes, primarily theUtes, all participated in the horse raiding. With allies,Walkara was known to steal hundreds to thousands of horses in a single raid. Native Americans along the route were at risk of being taken captive, especially the women and children of thePaiute, who were sold as domestic servants to Mexican ranchers and other settlers in both California and New Mexico. Mexican traders and Indian raiding parties both participated in this slave trade. The consequences of this human trafficking had a long-standing effect for those who lived along the trail, even after the trail was no longer in use. Intermittent Indian warfare along the trail often resulted from such slave raids by unscrupulous traders and raiding Indians.
John C. Frémont, "The Great Pathfinder", took the route, guided byKit Carson, in 1844 and named it in his report published in 1845. The New Mexico-California trade continued until the mid-1850s, when a shift to the use of freight wagons and the development of wagon trails made the old pack trail route obsolete. By 1846 both New Mexico and California had been annexed as U.S. territories following its victory in theMexican–American War of 1846–1848. After 1848 numerousMormon immigrants began settling inUtah,Nevada, andCalifornia all along the trail, affecting both trade interests and tolerance for the slavery of American Natives.[8]
Place names used in this article refer to present-day states and communities. Few (if any) settlements existed along the trail, except in the coastal plains of Alta California, before 1850, although many of the geologic features along the Trail retain their Spanish designations.
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The Armijo Route of the Old Spanish Trail was established by an expedition led by Antonio Armijo in 1829–1830. LeavingAbiquiu on November 7, 1829, Armijo's expedition traveled a route northwest and west of Santa Fe, following theChama River and thePuerco River. He crossed to theSan Juan River basin. From the San Juan, they entered theFour Corners area, and passed north of theCarrizo Mountains toChurch Rock, east of present-dayKayenta. The trail ran toMarsh Pass and north throughTsegi Canyon into canyon country. At theColorado River (then called the Rio Grande), the travelers forded at theCrossing of the Fathers above present-dayGlen Canyon Dam.
Continuing west toPipe Spring and on toVirgin River above present-daySt. George, Utah, the expedition followed the Virgin to the mouth of theSanta Clara River, which they followed up to the vicinity of theShivwits Reservation. They crossed southward over theBeaver Dam Mountains, atUtah Hill Summit to the Virgin River again, which they followed for three days down to the Colorado River. They traveled west parallel to the river, over difficult terrain in theBlack Mountains, to avoid the deep narrow gorge ofBoulder Canyon, to the riversideoases ofCallville Wash andLas Vegas Wash. Armijo waited there for his scouts to return, especially Rivera who had visited the Mohave villages downriver before. Rivera returned, having recognized the Mohave Trail that led westward to Southern California. Perhaps because the Mohave had been antagonistic to parties of mountain men in recent years, or to save time, Armijo attempted a short cut route southwest to the mouth of the Mojave River.
From Las Vegas Wash on the Colorado River, Armijo's expedition passed southwestward toEldorado Dry Lake inEldorado Valley and the spring atGoodsprings Valley, then throughWilson Pass, acrossMesquite Valley andCalifornia Valley, through what became known asEmigrant Pass toResting Springs, then along theAmargosa River from nearTecopa toSalt Spring. From Salt Spring they crossed a two-day-long waterless stretch upSalt Creek toLaguna del Milagro ("Lake of the Miracle") (probablySilver Lake), then toOjito del Malpais ("little spring of the badlands") onSoda Lake. They had another waterless day beyond Soda Lake, where they reached theMojave River, only intermittently dependable for potable water, and theMohave Trail leading up river.[9]: 32–33, 72–74
By then short of food, Armijo sent some of his scouts ahead to get more food in the settlement atSan Bernardino de Sena Estancia. They followed the river for six days (110 miles to its head from the mouth), having to kill a mule or horse each day to eat. Probably atSummit Valley at the top of the river east ofCajon Pass, they metvaqueros of the San Bernardino de Sena Estancia who had extra food. Armijo did not cross over the mountains by the Mohave Trail route overMonument Peak, but followed a route he called "Cañon de San Bernardino" from the upper Mojave River west throughCajon Pass and downCrowder andCajon canyons to the mouth of Cajon Pass, where the trail reached the coastal plain ofSan Bernardino Valley. This route was undoubtedly known to the vaqueros of San Bernardino Estancia.[10][7]
Once through the pass, they turned west along the foot of theSan Gabriel Mountains for two days toSan Jose Creek; they followed it, crossing theSan Gabriel River at theRancho La Puente, and reachingMission San Gabriel Arcángel on January 30, 1830. Armijo used the same route to return to his original town, traveling from March 1 to April 25, 1830.
He submitted a brief journal of his journey (itemizing the days with names of places where camps were made but not quantifying distances) to the government of New Mexico, and it was published by the Mexican government in June 1830.[6][7][8][10]
The Main Route (also referred to as the Central Route or the Northern Route) of the Old Spanish Trail avoided territory of theNavajo, (who had returned to a state of hostilities after Armijo's trip), and the more difficult canyon country traversed by the Armijo Route around the Colorado River. First traveled in 1830 by a party led byWilliam Wolfskill andGeorge Yount, this route ran northwest from Santa Fe through southwesternColorado, past theSan Juan Mountains,Mancos, andDove Creek, entering Utah near present-dayMonticello. The trail proceeded north through difficult terrain toSpanish Valley near today'sMoab, Utah, where a ferry crossed the deep and wide Colorado River and then turned northwest to a ferry crossing on the similarly sized and dangerousGreen River near present-dayGreen River, Utah. The route then passed through (or around) theSan Rafael Swell, the northernmost reach of the Trail. Entering theGreat Basin in Utah viaSalina Creek Canyon, the trail turned southwest following theSevier,Santa Clara,Virgin Rivers to the north bank of the Colorado River. There they could follow the Colorado River to Las Vegas Wash, then south through theEldorado Valley andPiute Valley to join the Mojave Trail, west of theMohave villages (below modernLaughlin) and followed the route between the springs along the Mojave Trail to Soda Lake and the Mojave River. Later caravans could alternatively follow the Armijo Route diverting southwestward from the Colorado at Las Vegas Wash, to Resting Springs and to the Mojave River where it joined the Wolfskill/Yount Route, following that river upward to and over theSan Bernardino Mountains through Cajon Pass, Crowder Canyon and lower Cajon Canyon and across the coastal valleys to Mission San Gabriel and Los Angeles.[7][8][11]: 11–12
The North Branch of the Old Spanish Trail was established by traders and trappers using Indian and Spanish colonial routes. It ran from Santa Fe north toTaos and on north into theSan Luis Valley of Colorado. Caravans then headed west to today'sSaguache, crossing over theContinental Divide atCochetopa Pass, and then through present dayGunnison andMontrose to theUncompahgre Valley. The trail then followed theGunnison River to today'sGrand Junction, where the Colorado River was forded, and then on west to join the Main Northern Route just east of the Green River. The North Branch later became an interest of explorers seeking viable routes for a transcontinental railroad along the 38th parallel. In 1853 alone, three separate expeditions explored the North Branch over Cochetopa Pass. These groups were led, in order, byLieutenant Edward Fitzgerald Beale,Captain John Williams Gunnison, and John C. Frémont.[7][8]
Use of the Old Spanish Trail between 1829 and 1848 resulted in numerous variations as travelers adopted or blazed easier paths. But regardless of the route taken, the Old Spanish Trail crossed several mountain ranges, passed through dry sections with limited grass and sometimes limited water, crossed two deserts, and was often littered with the bones of horses that had died of thirst.[12] The western portions of the Old Spanish Trail could only be used semi-reliably in winter when rains or snows deposited water in the desert. In summer, there was often no water and the oppressive heat could kill. A single round trip per year was about all that was feasible. After 1848, the western parts of the trail were used for winter access between Utah and California when other trails were closed by snow.[7][8]
Sometime before 1844, perhaps as early as 1830, a cut off developed on the Old Spanish Trail that cut the distance traveled along the upper Mojave River, by cutting across what is nowVictor Valley, from the Cajon Pass to acrossing just below theLower Narrows of the river. On April 20, 1844, following the advice of his guide,John C. Frémont intercepted this route to the river, riding east southeast fromLake Elizabeth, north of theSan Gabriel Mountains.[13]: 258–259
Another cutoff to the Armijo route of the Old Spanish Trail had developed before 1844, where the trail forked northeastward from the Mojave River and Mohave Trail, east of what is nowYermo, California, running upSpanish Canyon overAlvord Mountain, toBitter Spring, then throughRed Pass to join the Armijo route near Salt Spring in theSilurian Valley. Frémont also used this route in 1844.[13]: 261–264 The fork of the trails there on the Mojave River, later became known asFork of the Road.[14]
One last modification to this route was that followed by John C. Frémont eastward in 1844. His expedition left the Armijo Route at Resting Spring and turned northeastward after crossing theNopah Range through Emigrant Pass, through California Valley and acrossPahrump Valley to Stump Spring and into the mountains toMountain Springs, toCottonwood Spring, toLas Vegas Springs. He then crossed the dry 50 miles to theMuddy River before rejoining the Main Route on the Virgin River atHalfway Wash after crossing what later became known asMormon Mesa. This route saved the large distances caused by the diversion of the Armijo and Main routes to follow the Colorado River, and would later become the route of theMormon Road, the wagon road through southern Nevada between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles.[11]: 12
In 1988, a section of the trail inArches National Park was placed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[15][16]
In 2001, the section of the Trail that runs across Nevada from the Arizona border to California was placed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Old Spanish Trail/Mormon Road Historic District.[17][18]
Mojave National Preserve andMojave Trails National Monument preserve sections of the trail traveling through the Mojave Desert in California.[19]
The Old Spanish Trail became the fifteenthnational historic trail after Congress adopted Senate Bill 1946 andPresident George W. Bush signed the legislation in December 2002.[7]
Although few traces of the early traders' trail remain, the Trail is now commemorated in many[which?] local street and road names, and numerous[which?] historical markers in the states that it crossed.[citation needed] Portions ofUS 160 in Colorado andUS 191 in Utah are similarly designated.
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)Period of significance (1750–1849)
