Gregg Trail

Gregg Trail. . This is a three sided marker , Side A: , Adventure , Gregg Trail , Josiah Gregg (1806 1850), prompted by ill health, set out with a caravan from Independence, Missouri, for Santa Fe, New Mexico, on May 15, 1831. During a period of nine years he made frequent journeys to Santa Fe. Greggs route took him across Oklahoma and the Panhandle of Texas north of the Canadian River. On a return journey from Santa Fe to Van Buren, Arkansas, in 1840, he sought a route south of the Canadian. On March 14, he camped at the spot now known as Wild Horse Lake in the north part of present Amarillo. His route on March 15, as he left Wild Horse Lake, probably crossed the site of this monument. , Side B: , Courage , The Forty – Niners , Greggs account in his “Commerce of the Prairies” perhaps caused this route to be followed in 1849 by many California-bound emigrant trains, one of which was escorted by troops under the command of Captain R.B. Marcy. Deep ruts, still visible in many places, mark the heavy travel of the courageous Forty-Niners along this trail. , Side C: , Aspirations , Palo Duro Youth , With the spirit of adventure and the courage of Josiah Gregg and the Forty-Niners, the Palo Duro High School youth dedicate themselves to meet the challenge of new social, economic, political, and spiritual frontiers.