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Santa Fe National Historic Trail Spring 2021 Newsletter

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

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Santa Fe Trail Bicentennial logo

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Bicentennial Update

The National Trails Office (NTIR) Bicentennial Committee continues to support the Santa Fe Trail Association’s (SFTA) bicentennial efforts. The committee is available to provide assistance with outreach, awareness, and planning by developing informational materials, digital content, and more.

SFTA Bicentennial events are now listed on the Santa Fe National Historic Trail (NHT) website and a Story Map featuring events is in development. Special bicentennial passport stamps (both in-person and virtual) and a Junior Ranger activity are available to commemorate the anniversary.

NTIR recently invited six young adults between the ages of 19-28 to participate in the Santa Fe Trail NextGen Council as part of the bicentennial. Over the next seven months they will volunteer their time to make recommendations for engaging young adults with the Santa Fe NHT.

High Potential Sites/Segments (HPSS) Update

NTIR staff will present an update on the High Potential Sites and Segments (HPSS) process at the April 23, 2021 SFTA workshop. In June, NTIR staff hope to visit with SFTA members along the trail to walk through the process of filling out the HPSS nomination form. NTIR is currently reviewing lists to determine the status of sites and segments and whether they are already listed in the trail's comprehensive management plan.

A wayside exhibit panel picture.
Wayside panel to be installed at the Shawnee Indian Mission State Historic Site

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Interpretive Media Updates

Wayside Exhibits

Kansas City Area Wayside Project

The designs for eight waysides for the greater Kansas City area are complete. This project includes three new interpretive panels for the Shawnee Indian Mission State Historic Site, Rice-Tremonti Home, and Pioneer Park in Westport. One panel at Santa Fe Trail Park in Prairie Village, and four panels at the Upper Independence Landing in Wayne City were updated and redesigned as part of the project.

The work was completed with support from several partner organizations in the area including the Santa Fe Trail Association, Oregon-California Trails Association, Friends of Rice-Tremonti Home, and Kansas City Area Historic Trails Association.

Other Waysides
The Black Jack Ruts exhibits are in the final stages of editing and review. A replacement panel for a damaged exhibit at Cottonwood Crossing is at the fabricator. Planning and design for an Arrow Rock wayside exhibit design is underway.

Santa Fe National Historic Trail Brochure

The newly revised Santa Fe National Historic Trail brochure and map is currently being printed, and should be available in April. Significant updates include a “new look” map that is scaled to focus more closely on the trail corridor, and identifies sites that allow for visitors to step out onto the trail, experiencing the trail with a walk or hike.

Mobile Tours

The NPS-wide mobile application (app) is almost ready to be fully rolled out to the public, and NTIR has been working to populate the NPS app with all the interesting and researched content that is being used for the OnCell Tour. This new application will bring these wonderful tours to the full NPS audience, introducing anyone using the app to visit parks, to the rich history of the Santa Fe Trail. For any questions, please contact Emily Kessler.

National Historic Trails Inventory Application

Thank you for the contributing efforts to the NHT Asset Inventory the Santa Fe Trail Association members have made. Currently, there are 12 members of the association who have partner accounts for ArcGIS Online and who have access to the NHT Asset Inventory. Four members have recorded assets and a total of 132 assets have been recorded by the association and National Trails staff (36.97% of the total 357 NHT Asset recordings).

New Interactive Trails Map Viewer


A new Interactive Trails Map Viewer can be accessed from the Santa Fe NHT website.

Sign Plan Updates

Approval was received from Missouri Department of Transportation (MODOT) in early March 2021 for the installation of historic route signs to mark the Santa Fe NHT across all MODOT managed roads in the state. The Santa Fe Trail Association and National Trails office are also working with Kansas Department of Transportation on a similar statewide sign plan effort this year and expect the plan to be approved in the next couple of weeks.

A map showing trail routes from eastern Kansas to Santa Fe New Mexico. Red Dots indicate that signs her places at Point of Rocks, Union County in New Mexico and Barton and Pawnee County in Kansas.

NPS Image

In 2020, sign plans were ordered for Barton County, Kansas, Pawnee County, Kansas, and, Union County, New Mexico to mark the historic route and crossing locations on the Santa Fe NHT. Replacement directional site signs were also ordered for the Point of Rocks site in New Mexico.

Solar car next to a covered wagon.

Photo Courtesy of the American Solar Challenge

American Solar Challenge on the Santa Fe Trail


Planning for the 2021 American Solar Challenge (ASC) on the Santa Fe National Historic Trail is progressing. The ASC is a college-level competition organized by the Innovators Educational Foundation (IEF) to design, build, and drive solar-powered cars in a cross-country time/distance rally. From August 4 - 7, 2021, solar car teams from around the globe will compete in the ASC along portions of the Santa Fe Trail to commemorate the Trail’s 200th anniversary.

Various stops along the route will give visitors the unique opportunity to see the solar cars and explore the history and landscape of the Santa Fe Trail with the help of National Park Service rangers. NTIR has been working closely with IEF to solidify the ASC route which will be released soon. SFTA members are invited and welcome to attend the event as the cars make stops along the route. Please note these events are contingent on the COVID-19 situation.

Questions? Please contact Jess Ostfeld, American Solar Challenge Event Coordinator for NTIR.

Sharing History

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!

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    Last updated: September 7, 2021