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WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY     (Washington County, Utah)

OLD SPANISH TRAIL

The Old Spanish Trail was a major trade route between Santa Fe and Los Angeles between 1829 and 1848.
Routes that later became part of the Old Spanish Trail were explored beginning in 1776. After 1848, this trail
fell into disuse as better routes were found.


ROUTE

Old Spanish Trail Map


HISTORY

In 1829, Antonio Armijo (a merchant from Santa Fe) started blazing the trail using information from previous
explorers. For the next two decades, this was used for commerce between New Mexico and Southern California.

The trail gradually fell into disuse after the War with Mexico ended in 1848.

The Utah portion of the Old Spanish Trail was added to the National Register of Historic Places
(NRHP Reference Number 88001181) on October 6, 1988.

The Old Spanish Trail became the fifteenth national historic trail in December of 2002.


REFERENCES

Old Spanish Trail Association

Old Spanish Trail Association - Utah Chapter

Old Spanish Trail Association - Southern Utah Chapter

Old Spanish National Historic Trail Official Map and Guide

Utah State Legislature 2016 Resolution - Fish Lake Cutoff of the Spanish Trail

History of the Old Spanish Trail

History of the Old Spanish Trail

Wikipedia article about the Old Spanish Trail

2018 Utah Westerners Field Trip Guide
Ho For The Old Spanish Trail in Utah

Spanish Trail by C. Gregory Crampton

Video: Old Spanish Trail Adventure
Three American Conservation Experience (ACE) interns working for the BLM-Utah National Trails Program
trekked more than 400 miles along the Old Spanish National Historic Trail (OST) in southern Utah.