Last updated: September 16, 2022
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Santa Fe National Historic Trail Fall 2022 Newsletter
Read the latest project updates and completions from the National Trails Office of the National Park Service (NPS).
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Photo/Kim White
The National Trails office (NTIR) welcomes Kim White as the new Administrative Officer (AO). She will be providing administrative support to NTIR staff, the National Historic Trails (NHTs) and Route 66. Kim works remotely from Mississippi. She enjoys spending time with her family, church ministry, traveling, shopping, reading, hanging out with friends, and getting to know new people. She has 16 1/2 years of federal service.
Photo/Nicole Kemler
Nicole Kemler is the new Sign Planning and Partnerships American Conservation Experience (ACE) fellow. She moved to Santa Fe in June, and recently graduated from UC Berkeley this past spring with a degree in Conservation and Resource Studies. While she will be primarily focusing on signing in the state of California she will also be supporting general sign planning for the Santa Fe NHT and other NHTs. Outside of her time in the office, she loves to explore Santa Fe and find new walking trails. She is looking forward to developing signage as well as partnerships throughout her 18-month fellowship.
High Potential Sites and Segments Update
NTIR staff met with Santa Fe Trail Association (SFTA) members and other community partners in Trinidad, CO, on July 20th to discuss the ongoing effort to identify new High Potential Sites and Segments (HPSS) along the Santa Fe Trail. Following a discussion, attendees headed to the NRA Whittington Center (Raton, NM) to practice applying the HPSS worksheet criteria on Santa Fe Trail swales running through the site.
Buffalo Soldier Storymap
A project proposal for developing a storymap on the Buffalo Soldier history and experience was approved for funding for fiscal year 2024. The storymap will feature Fort Larned National Historic Site in KS and Fort Union National Monument in NM. The office plans to partner with a historically black college and university (HBCU) to produce the digital interactive storymap to enhance the public’s knowledge and understanding of the connections existing between the Santa Fe National Historic Trail, NPS units, and other federal and state parks.
NPS Photo
Wayside Exhibit Accessibility
Some of the first waysides to display QR Code Tags, connecting to Audio Description on the web, have been installed along the Santa Fe NHT. QR tags can be scanned by smart phones connecting visitors with visual impairment, or those just seeking more information, to online links to recorded speech that describes the wayside and surrounding area. Metal QR tags are being created and installed on waysides already in place. Future waysides will incorporate the QR code into the panel’s design. This will be an on-going project that is essential to meet accessibility requirements.
Signage Updates
Replacement signs were ordered for Barton County, KS and the Whittington Center, NM. And Site Identification signs were ordered for: French Franks Site, MO; Herzstein Museum, NM; Arrow Rock Ferry Landing, MO; Cave Springs, KS; Autograph Rock, OK; Fullers Ranch, KS; and Hart Grove Creek, KS.
NTIR staff finalized and implemented sign plans for the Santa Fe Botanical Gardens, NM (pedestrian signage) and Kiowa Grasslands, KS (metal logos for the limestone posts that mark the Trail).
Updates on External Projects
Descriptions
NTIR staff is commenting on and monitoring the compliance processes of several federal undertakings with potential to affect the Santa Fe National Historic Trail.
Last spring, NTIR staff commented under Section 106 on the “Four Low-level Aviation Training Routes” undertaking proposed by the Department of Defense at Fort Carson, CO. NTIR staff continue to monitor the situation as new issues are brought forward by SFTA.
NTIR staff has also engaged in the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe Mindeman “Bloom Crossing” tower mitigation near Iron Springs on Comanche National Grasslands, and in identification of potential visual effects to the trail and/or to Fort Larned National Historic Site (a high potential site) that may be incurred by the Grain Belt Express Transmission Line in Kansas.
Virtual Trail Stories & Experiences
Have you been following the trails on social media? You may have noticed an increase in articles, virtual visits, and virtual kids' activities. People can't travel to experience the trails in person, so NTIR has been working to bring the trails to your house. You can check out recent and past articles, become a junior ranger, take virtual visits to learn more about trail sites, and more - click the links below!
Highlights
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- Sites: Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site, Fort Larned National Historic Site, Fort Union National Monument, Pecos National Historical Park, Santa Fe National Historic Trail
The U.S. opened military forts along the route of the Santa Fe Trail to protect trail travel and trade. The first military fort, Fort Leavenworth, was established in 1827 in eastern Kansas and is not a national park site. Fort Union and Fort Larned followed. Bent’s Fort, not a military fort but a trading post, was built in 1833. The trail also passed along the ancient pueblo of Pecos, now a part of Pecos National Historical Park.
- Santa Fe National Historic Trail
Series: University of New Mexico Student Essays: Santa Fe National Historic Trail
- Type: Series
Pick an article and learn more about some of the key places along the Santa Fe National Historic Trail. These articles provide an opportunity to take a closer look at the significance of these sites. Written by students at the University of New Mexico, you might find a new perspective on a part of history.
- Sites: El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail, Santa Fe National Historic Trail
From moveable hand-carved woodblocks in Dunhuang, China, during the Tang Dynasty of 618-906 to adjustable type developed by Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany, around 1450, print has played a vital role in the transfer of knowledge and ideas, communication, and the arts. It was not until July of 1834, 13 years after the establishment of the Santa Fe Trail with the beginning of legal international trade with Mexico, that the first printing press arrived in New Mexico.
- Santa Fe National Historic Trail
Santa Fe Trail and Economic Downturns
The United States has endured recessions before. More than two centuries ago, the United States began sinking into what one economic historian calls “the first great depression.” After the War of 1812, rampant speculation in western lands—fueled by easy access to credit, record-high grain and cotton prices, and the end of the Indian wars—masked the initial signs of an economic downturn. Learn more about this period of time on the Santa Fe Trail.
Connect with the Trail
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Find us on Social MediaLearn more about the trail on social media!
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Santa Fe Trail WebsiteLearn more on the NPS Santa Fe Trail website.
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Contact NTIRContact NTIR or individual staff.