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Oregon and California National Historic Trails Spring 2023 Newsletter

Read the latest project updates and completions from the National Trails Office of the National Park Service (NPS).


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A woman's portrait photo.
Meet Kim White, NTIR Administrative Officer.

Photo/Kim White

National Trails Welcomes New Staff and Fellows


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.

A person stands on a later next to a dirt cliff with a bucket.

Photo/J.Jarrett

NTIR welcomes Jordan Jarrett as the new Cultural Resources Specialist working out of the Santa Fe office. She has worked in archeology for both the National Park Service and the National Forest Service since receiving her Masters from Washington State University in 2013. She began my career working in Cultural Resources at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, completing various compliance and consultation projects (and doing so by boat, plane, and Jeeping on slickrock!). While there, she recorded my first historic trail segment, working with Rosemary Sucec and Lamont Crabtree to document the Slick Rocks segment of the Hole-in-the-Rock Trail near Hite, Utah. She spent two years with the NPS conducting preservation of Ancestral Pueblo structures in Flagstaff Area Monuments (the above photo is at Wupatki National Monument) and at Tonto National Monument.
In 2016, Jordan moved to New Mexico to work at Bandelier National Monument, where she served as an archeologist, monitoring and recording sites on the Pajarito Plateau. Jordan and her spouse live in Los Alamos, enjoying the many parks and resources our area has to offer! After a brief stint with the U.S. Forest Service, Jordan says she has been "fortunate enough to have the opportunity to return to the National Park Service to further our mission of protecting and preserving our amazing resources. In my current role as external compliance reviewer, I look forward to learning about our trails, protecting our resources, and learning from my coworkers and our partners along the way!"

A woman stands in her graduation regalia.
Meet Nicole Kemler, NTIR signing fellow.

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. She will be primarily focusing on signing in the state of California in partnership with the California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS). 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.

Staff Updates

NTIR is pleased to announce a few changes within the office. NTIR Lead Historian Angélica Sánchez-Clark has accepted a new position at NTIR as the Partnerships and Outreach Coordinator. NTIR cultural resources staff Jill Jensen, who had been in the acting role in the planning position, has become the permanent planner. Congratulations to these staff members on their new positions!

Updates on External Projects

Park ranger stands at a table with literature.

NPS Photo

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RootsTech 2023 Conference


NTIR staff and retired NTIR staff member Lee Kreutzer attended the RootsTech 2023 conference in Salt Lake City March 2 - 4, and provided Oregon NHT and California NHT information (brochures, auto tour route guides, NPS App, junior ranger info). NTIR also displayed the interactive National Historic Trails Viewer mapping application to look at specific areas along the trails the public was interested in. People were very interested in the trails and how they related to their ancestors.

Wyoming Planning


NTIR has been participating in monthly meetings with partners in Wyoming since September 2022 to collaborate on NHT development efforts across the state. Participants on these calls include the BLM, Wyoming State Parks, Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), The Church of Latter-Day Saints of Jesus Christ, and Wyoming Oregon-California Trails Association (OCTA) chapter members. The effort started out as more of a brainstorming session and has since focused-in on a multiyear project that would complete an interpretive inventory, analysis, and development concept plan for the NHTs within the state. This document will identify strategic actions, site and retracement trail rehabilitation and development needs, key locations for interpretive media, future development projects, and infrastructure improvements needed to create a connected linear NHT experience with developed sites to visit along the way.

CALTRANS Project Update


This year NTIR has ordered a total of 73 signs for several counties throughout California, including El Dorado, Sierra, Siskiyou, and Modoc. These sign plans will mark roughly 180 miles of Historic Route along the California and Pony Express NHTs in California.

A path leads down through an open forest.
Check out the new trail at Emigrant Trail Park in Lakepoint, Utah.

NPS Photo

Emigrant Trail Park (Lakepoint, UT) Site Development Update


Check out the new trail! Much of the trail system has been developed, and contractors are now working on completing the picnic area and children’s naturscape play area. NTIR is currently working on the designs for two exhibits to be placed onsite as well.

Large brown sign, "Old Fort Boise."

NPS Image

General Signing Updates

  • NTIR is working with the Nevada Department of Transportation (DOT) on a state-wide sign plan that when complete and implemented will mark the historic route of the California NHT across the state along DOT managed right-of-ways.

  • Two replacement Site Identification (site ID) signs were ordered for the New Fork River Historic Site, located in Wyoming. The old signs had become faded with age.

  • Site ID signs for Old Fort Boise and the Fort Boise Replica (both sites are located in Idaho) were delivered in February 2023 and should be installed by early spring.

  • Pedestrian signs will be ordered this month for Ash Hollow State Park as a part of a Connect Trails to Parks Project NTIR is working with the park on. These signs will mark a retracement trail that follows the Historic Route of the Oregon and California NHTs through the park.

An image of a wayside exhibit sign.
One of the exhibit panels from Alcove Springs.

NPS Image

Alcove Spring Wayside Exhibits


The five waysides for Alcove Spring have been fabricated by Pannier and delivered to the Alcove Spring Historical Trust for installation.

New Site Videos

Take a look below, or if you are reading a printed version, check out:

  • Hollenberg Pony Express Station – Place to visit on the Oregon, California, & Pony Express national historic trails

    Hollenberg Pony Express Station – Place to visit on the Oregon, California, & Pony Express national historic trails

    Situated at the Kansas-Nebraska border is the Hollenberg Pony Express Station. It is a rare example of a Pony Express station that still stands unaltered in its original location. A new visitor center with interpretive exhibits has been erected near the historic building. A trip here provides the chance to step back in time by visiting the original station house where Pony Express riders and thousands of emigrants stopped to rest, eat, and purchase supplies along their journey.

    Duration:
    1 minute, 6 seconds

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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    California National Historic Trail, Oregon National Historic Trail

    Last updated: March 24, 2023