The Old Spanish Trail

The Old Spanish Trail. Santa Fe to Los Angeles. , The 1,200-mile long Old Spanish Trail connected Santa Fe, New Mexico, with Los Angeles, California. It is considered one of the most arduous trade routes in the United States. The Spaniards explored parts of the trail in the late 1700s and New Mexico pack trains used it between 1829 and 1848. , , In 1829, New Mexican Antonio Armijo led the first mule caravan from Santa Fe to Los Angeles to trade Churro sheep woolen goods for horses and famed California mules. The caravans moved between 15 and 20 miles each day, traveling west in the fall. After spending the winter trading in California, the caravans returned east to Santa Fe in the spring when grass was available for the horses and mules. , , In 1844, John C. Fremont used the trail to journey east. He recorded it as the "Spanish Trail" in his journal, the first known mention of the name. , , When Americans began moving into the Southwest in 1848, pioneers, gold seekers, freighters, and soldiers made new trails and wagon roads to use for travel and trade, making the entire "Spanish Trail" obsolete. Mormon settlers continued to use the original trail between Utah and California to establish communities and outposts. Railroads, highways, and powerlines have followed the same path. Historic travel and modern use of the trail have continued to make it one of the most important and historic transportation corridors in America. , , In 2002, the U.S. Congress designated the entire route as the Old Spanish National Historic Trail. , , To learn more about the Mojave River Chapter of the Old Spanish Trail Association, stop inside the Mojave River Valley Museum. , , For more information visit , oldspanishtrail.org , www.nps.gov/olsp