Lone Mountain Archaeological Services
Old Spanish National Historic Trails
Rock Art Sites
Hiener Spring and Deer House Pueblitos
THE OLD SPANISH NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL
Comprehensive Management Plan and EIS.
One of Lone Mountain’s most fascinating projects at present is the preparation of the Cultural Resources Management Plan of the Old Spanish National Historic Trail. This is an unusual project in both focus and scope. Rather than field survey or excavation, this project involves extensive literature research and data collection, and covers thousands of years and a staggering 2,700 miles of trail through six states.
What is now known as the Old Spanish Trail evolved over many centuries from a combination of indigenous footpaths, early trade and exploration routes, horse and mule routes, and later wagon trails. The National Park Service has identified the period of significance (the time period in which trail use is nationally significant) as A.D. 1829 through 1848. This period represents the trail’s heaviest use as a primarily commercial route by Europeans, Mexicans, Indians, and Anglo-Americans, and the beginnings of its role in the expansion of the United States. In order to provide a thorough interpretation of the Old Spanish Trail, however, Lone Mountain’s research covers an extended period of time, considering earlier prehistoric use of the trail as well as later use during a period in which political and economic activities affecting many (if not all) North American peoples was reaching a fever pitch. In this way, Lone Mountain hopes to represent as many voices as possible in the story of the trail.
The trail was instrumental in the creation of a unique Southwestern identity, bringing three major cultures (Spanish, Indian, and Anglo) together. In broader terms, the story of the Old Spanish Trail has turned out to be the story of America and the American identity. The trail was involved in many important events in our nation’s history, resulting in drastic environmental and cultural changes. These events include far-ranging prehistoric trade and migrations, the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, European settlement and missionization of the Southwest, the Mexican-American war, Mormon settlement and the eventual wresting of the Utah Territory from the Mormons, Manifest Destiny and the expansion of the United States, the Gold Rush, the Long Walk, and the Civil War, to name just a few. The cast of characters involved in trail development is extraordinary, including prehistoric and historic Indians, early Spanish explorers and settlers, New Mexican traders, Mormon pioneers, missionaries, mountain men, outlaws, slave traders, the U.S. military, 49ers, railroad surveyors, and such wild-west icons as Kit Carson, Chief Wakara, and Butch Cassidy.
A great deal of textual documentation was available to our researchers, mainly in the form of trail diaries written by everyone from the earliest Spanish explorers and missionaries, through gold prospectors and later surveyors of the mid 1800s. Almost without exception, these diaries are beautifully written and full of fascinating, tragic, and often funny observations of life on the trail. They were so wildly popular in their time that many fakes were written to cash in on the craze, especially during the expansionist fever of the mid nineteenth century.
Lone Mountain researchers have uncovered vast reservoirs of historical information relating to the trail and are producing a document that will hopefully shed new light on the trail and its national importance, as well as offering a new perspective on the multi-cultural stories comprising our American history.
Chief Wakara
Brigham Young