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The Board of Directors and staff of the Oregon Trails Coordinating Council present the Oregon Historic Trails Report, the first step in the development of a statewide Oregon Historic Trails Program. The Oregon Historic Trails Report is a general guide and planning document that will help future efforts to develop historic trail resources in Oregon.

The objective of the Oregon Historic Trails Program is to establish Oregon as the nation's leader in developing historic trails for their educational, recreational, and economic values. The Oregon Historic Trails Program, when fully implemented, will help preserve and leverage existing heritage resources while promoting rural economic development and growth through heritage tourism.

The opportunity to realize these benefits will depend on the entities that have the authority to act and collaborate on the program's behalf: land management agencies, government commissions, heritage organizations, and tourism associations. The Council recommends that these entities move forward with the Oregon Historic Trails Program.

Oregon's historic trails represent the transformation of the American West and are essential to understanding Oregon's history. The sixteen trails described in this report combine to tell a story, beginning before whites arrived and continuing through the Nez Perce War of 1877. Together they present an interwoven account of native peoples, explorers, and settlers brought into contact by their movements through a shared landscape. The outcomes of their travels and activities shaped the place where we live today. They shaped Oregon.

The Council challenges organizations and communities along Oregon's historic trails to adopt these recommendations, preserving and developing resources as appropriate, and continuing the work initiated by this report.



Jim Renner
Executive Director
Oregon Trails Coordinating Council

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