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National Historic Trails
In 1978, Congress amended the National Trails System Act to create National Historic
Trails as a new category in addition to recreation and scenic trails. With the 1978
amendments, Congress also established the first trails under this new title. Marking
early pioneer journeys west or trading routes, the first National Historic Trails
included the Lewis and Clark Trail, Oregon Trail, Mormon Trail, and Iditarod Trail.
These first trails were to be administered by the National Park Service or Bureau
of Land Management, but a later addition to the system, the 1,350-mile Nez Perce Trail (Nee-Me-Poo) in Oregon, Idaho, and
Montana, identified the U.S. Forest Service as the managing agency.
According to a 1982 Department of the Interior status report on the National Trails
System, "In some cases, the original route has been obliterated by commercial,
industrial, residential, agricultural, and transportation developments." This
is especially true for the National Historic Trails, many of which are now obscured
by highways, dammed reservoirs, or other developments. For these reasons, Historic
Trails are generally not managed as hiking or recreational trails in the same manner
as other units in the National Trails System. Similar to their National Scenic Trail
counterparts, however, National Historic Trails may be designated only through acts
of Congress.
Since the 1978 legislation, Congress has approved eleven more trails for National
Historic status. Stretching from Florida to Alaska and Hawaii, the National Historic
Trails now commemorate a variety of routes, from those traveled by early mail couriers
(Pony Express) to American Indian nations fleeing military pursuers (Nez Perce Trail)
or being forcibly relocated (Trail of Tears). Other routes include those traveled
by Spanish explorers, native Hawaiians, and military expeditions.
Sources:
Status of the National Trails System, December 29, 1982, U.S.
Department of the Interior, National Park Service, photocopied document.
Summary: Status of the National Trails System, February 1, 1981.
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