The Spanish Trail (Old Spanish Trail) - Wagon Roads and Trails on Waymarking.com

The Daughters of Utah Pioneers historical marker at this location reads:

The Spanish Trail

Kane Springs, San Juan County, was a major water stop along the historic Spanish Trail, in use from 1829 to 1848. Large trade caravans halted here and drank from the abundant spring waters. In autumn months, pack trains carried woolen textiles and raw wool over the trail from the settlements on the upper Rio Grande to the coastal towns of California. On reaching California, wool merchants exchanged their goods for horses and mules, which were driven back to New Mexico the following spring. It took trail riders over two months to complete the journey.

The 1,120-mile route, from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Los Angeles, California, followed a northward looping course that passed through the rugged southern and central landscapes of Utah. This trail avoided the deep canyons of the Colorado River and the hostile Indians of Arizona.

In 1848, at the end of the Mexican war, the territory encompassing the Spanish Trail became part of the United States. Thereafter, caravan traffic followed direct east-west lines. In the post-trail period, the waters of Kane Springs refreshed weary travelers, cattle drovers, pioneer settlers, and outlaws.

No. 487 · · · 1996 · · · Monticello Camp

Road of Trail Name: The Spanish Trail (Old Spanish Trail) State: Utah County: San Juan County Historical Significance: The Old Spanish Trail was the original trade route between the Spanish settlements of New Mexico and coastal California. Years in use: 19 How you discovered it: Stopped at the Hole N' The Rock attraction for photographs. Noticed this marker in the highway rest area just north of the attraction. Why?: Spanish merchants took raw wool and woolen textiles to California to trade for horses and mules that had been brought to California by ship or raised on local ranchos. Directions: Fifteen miles south of Moab on the east side of US Highway 191 just north of the Hole N' The Roack attraction. Book on Wagon Road or Trial: Not listed Website Explination: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   09/25/2021 drgw3128 visited it 10/30/2015 tatie visited it 03/25/2015 datenhamster visited it 09/01/2014 HM63 visited it

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