Old Spanish National Historic Trail Comprehensive Administrative Strategy Chama Crossing at Red Rock, New Mexico United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management – National Park Service 2017 Old Spanish National Historic Trail Comprehensive Administrative Strategy Bureau of Land Management National Park Service Department of the Interior December 2017 2 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service lntermountain Region 12795 West Alameda Parkway P.O. Box 25287 Denver, Colorado 80225-0287 BLM Utah State Office 440 West 200 South Suite 500 Salt Lake City, Utah 84101-1345 Dear Reader: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and National Park Service (NPS) are pleased to present the final Comprehensive Administrative Strategy (CAS) for the Old Spanish National Historic Trail. Congress added the trail to the National Trails System on December 4, 2002. The legislation authorizing the trail identified four major routes (Armijo Route, Northern Route, North Branch, and Mojave Road) that include approximately 2,706 miles of trail, extending from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Los Angeles, California. The designation of the trail commemorates the commercial trading activities between New Mexico and California during the period from 1829 to 1848. New Mexico traders loaded mules with merchandise such as blankets and clothing, then crossed extremely rugged terrain to California to trade for mules, horses, and other goods, and then returned home. These trade routes, and specific sites and segments along the trail, are associated with events that made significant contributions to our nation's history. The act requires protection of the resources and values of the Old Spanish National Historic Trail and promotion of public information, interpretation, education, and recreational use related to the trail. The legislation also authorized the Secretary of the Interior to administer the trail; the BLM and NPS co-administer the trail through authority delegated by the Secretary. The purpose of this strategy, co-authored by BLM and NPS, is to establish the administrative objectives, protocols, processes, and guidelines necessary to fulfill preservation and public use goals for the entire trail. Section 5(f) of the National Trails System Act requires the development of a comprehensive plan for all designated national historic trails. This administrative strategy, focusing on trail administration, will function as the core component of the planning portfolio for the Old Spanish National Historic Trail comprehensive strategy. The BLM's Utah State Director leads the agency's co-administration effort on behalf of the other five BLM state directors with management responsibilities for the Old Spanish National Historic Trail. The NPS lntermountain Regional Director leads the planning and co-administration efforts on behalf of the NPS. All other federal agency land managers along the length of the trail have responsibility for assuring that their land use and land management plans and other undertakings comply with the requirements, mandates, and goals of the National Trails System Act. The goal of this administrative strategy is to develop a foundational document to assist in future trail planning efforts through the establishment of key national historic trail inventories and resources currently found in relation to the Old Spanish National Historic Trail. This strategy provides guidance for the administration of the entire trail, and a vision to be fulfilled through future specific resources studies and site and segment management plans. Much of the basis for the CAS was developed during an earlier comprehensive management plan efforts. Trail administration consulted with federal partners, state and local government agencies, landowners, federally recognized American Indian tribes, area residents, trail-user organizations, BLM and NPS program and unit managers and resources staff, and the public. A mutually agreed-on approach to administration facilitates the work of partners in accomplishing specific goals identified here and in future planning efforts. In conjunction with the administrative strategy, federal land management agencies along or adjacent to the trail will continue to manage lands on or adjacent to the trail, and trail resources and values in accordance with the mandates of National Trails System Act and in accordance with other respective agency policies, laws, and authorities. The federal agencies managing portions of the national historic trail may develop management documents according to their agency policies and guidelines, as appropriate, and in conformance with National Trails System Act mandates. This document includes the list of high potential sites and route segments for the entire trail required in the National Trails System Act, and provides information that will assist decision makers and the public in evaluating the relative merits and impacts of future site-specific actions. The BLM and the NPS look forward to implementing this strategy in collaboration with other federal agencies, Indian tribes, State and local governments, the Old Spanish Trail Association, and the public. The document is available online at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/Final-OLSP-CAS. Printed copies may be obtained by request from either agency. Sincerely, ~ t{- 1+, _J M Date f2- - ll-YJ(1 a;/ IL•fl•<S>17 Sue Masica L ate E. Edwin L. Roberson Regional Director Utah State Director lntermountain Region Bureau of Land Management National Park Service Contents Comprehensive Administrative Strategy Table of Contents vii Executive Summary 1 Chapter 1: Introduction 3 The National Trails System 4 Old Spanish National Historic Trail Feasibility Study 4 Legislative History of the Old Spanish National Historic Trail 5 Nature and Purpose of the Old Spanish National Historic Trail 5 Trail Period of Significance 6 Trail Significance Statement 8 Brief Description of the Trail Routes 10 Purpose of the Comprehensive Administrative Strategy 11 Next Steps and Strategy Implementation 13 Chapter 2: Approaches to Administration 15 Introduction 16 Administrative and Management Responsibilities 19 Partners and Trail Resource Stewards 20 Resource Identification, Protection, and Monitoring 21 National Historic Trail Rights-of-Way 22 Refinement of Congressionally Designated Routes 22 High Potential Sites and Route Segments 30 Adding Additional Routes to the Designated Trail 31 Process for Adding High Potential Sites and Segments 31 Mapping and Resource Inventory 48 Partnership Certification Program 49 Trail Use Experience 49 Orientation 50 Trail Logo 50 Trail Identification 51 Recreational Opportunities 52 Local Tour Routes 52 Interpretation/Education i Contents Comprehensive Administrative Strategy 53 Primary Interpretive Themes 53 Secondary Interpretive Themes 54 Health and Safety 54 User Capacity 55 Costs 55 Operations 55 Funding 56 Information Sources and Research Needs 58 Appropriate Use 59 Chapter 3: Resources of the Old Spanish National Historic Trail 61 Historical Background 62 Before 1829 64 Period of Significance (1829–1848) 65 Historic Use of the Trail 68 Captives and Traders 69 Migration 70 Later Exploration Routes 70 Post-1848 Railroad Surveys 71 Cultural Resources 72 Cultural Landscapes 76 Ethnographic Resources 77 Culturally Affiliated Tribes 87 Traditional Cultural Properties 88 Hispano Communities 102 Archeological Resources 104 Historic Resources 109 Natural Resources 110 Visual Resources ii Contents Comprehensive Administrative Strategy 113 Chapter 4: Consultation and Coordination 115 Introduction 115 Consultation and Coordination 115 Federal Agencies 116 State and Local Agencies 116 Public Outreach 117 Consultation with American Indian Tribes 117 Methodology 120 Tribal Listening Session 121 Continued Consultation and Assistance 122 Summary 123 Study Team and Preparers 125 National Park Service 125 National Trails Intermountain Region 126 Bureau of Land Management 126 Utah State Office 126 New Mexico State Office 126 Consultants 127 References 133 Glossary of Terms 137 Index iii Contents Comprehensive Administrative Strategy List of Figures 7 Map 1. Elevation Profile of the Old Spanish Trail (Northern Route) 8 Map 2. Congressionally Designated Routes 9 Map 3. Individual Trail Routes 33 Map 4: Old Spanish NHT High Potential Sites And Segments 34 Map 5A: Old Spanish NHT High Potential Sites And Segments 35 Map 5B: Old Spanish NHT High Potential Sites And Segments 36 Map 5C: Old Spanish NHT High Potential Sites And Segments 37 Map 5D: Old Spanish NHT High Potential Sites And Segments 38 Map 5E: Old Spanish NHT High Potential Sites And Segments 39 Map 5F. Old Spanish NHT High Potential Sites And Segments 40 Map 5G: Old Spanish NHT High Potential Sites And Segments 41 Map 5H: Old Spanish NHT High Potential Sites and Segments 42 Map 5I: Old Spanish NHT High Potential Sites and Segments 43 Map 5J: Old Spanish NHT High Potential Sites and Segments 44 Map 5K: Old Spanish NHT High Potential Sites and Segments 45 Map 5L: Old Spanish NHT High Potential Sites and Segments 46 Map 5M: Old Spanish NHT High Potential Sites and Segments 47 Map 5N: Old Spanish NHT High Potential Sites and Segments 63 Map 6. Rivera and Dominguez – Escalante Expeditions iv Contents Comprehensive Administrative Strategy List of Tables 10 Table 1. Land Ownership along the Old Spanish National Historic Trail by Agency 23 Table 2. High Potential Sites 25 Table 3. High Potential Route Segments 26 Table 4. Total High Potential Resources by State 27 Table 5. Tentative High