II 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 217 

To amend the National Trails System Act to require the Secretary of the 

Interior to update the feasibility and suitability studies of four national 

historic trails, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 13, 2009 

Mr. HATCH introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To amend the National Trails System Act to require the 

Secretary of the Interior to update the feasibility and 

suitability studies of four national historic trails, and 

for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. REVISION OF FEASIBILITY AND SUITABILITY 

4 STUDIES OF EXISTING NATIONAL HISTORIC 

5 TRAILS. 

6 Section 5 of the National Trails System Act (16 

7 U.S.C. 1244) is amended by adding at the end the fol8 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘(g) REVISION OF FEASIBILITY AND SUITABILITY

2 STUDIES OF EXISTING NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAILS.— 

3 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

4 ‘‘(A) ROUTE.—The term ‘route’ includes a 

5 trail segment commonly known as a cutoff. 

6 ‘‘(B) SHARED ROUTE.—The term ‘shared 

7 route’ means a route that was a segment of 

8 more than one historic trail, including a route 

9 shared with an existing national historic trail. 

10 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS FOR REVISION.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the 

12 Interior shall revise the feasibility and suit13 ability studies for certain national trails for 

14 consideration of possible additions to the trails. 

15 ‘‘(B) STUDY REQUIREMENTS AND OBJEC16 TIVES.—The study requirements and objectives 

17 specified in subsection (b) shall apply to a study 

18 required by this subsection. 

19 ‘‘(C) COMPLETION AND SUBMISSION OF

20 STUDY.—A study listed in this subsection shall 

21 be completed and submitted to Congress not 

22 later than 3 complete fiscal years from the date 

23 funds are made available for the study. 

24 ‘‘(3) OREGON NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Secretary of 

2 the Interior shall undertake a study of the 

3 routes of the Oregon Trail listed in subpara4 graph (B) and generally depicted on the map 

5 entitled ‘Western Emigrant Trails 1830/1870’ 

6 and dated 1991/1993, and of such other routes 

7 of the Oregon Trail that the Secretary con8 siders appropriate, to determine the feasibility 

9 and suitability of designation of one or more of 

10 the routes as components of the Oregon Na11 tional Historic Trail. 

12 ‘‘(B) COVERED ROUTES.—The routes to be 

13 studied under subparagraph (A) shall include 

14 the following: 

15 ‘‘(i) Whitman Mission route. 

16 ‘‘(ii) Upper Columbia River. 

17 ‘‘(iii) Cowlitz River route. 

18 ‘‘(iv) Meek cutoff. 

19 ‘‘(v) Free Emigrant Road. 

20 ‘‘(vi) North Alternate Oregon Trail. 

21 ‘‘(vii) Goodale’s cutoff. 

22 ‘‘(viii) North Side alternate route. 

23 ‘‘(ix) Cutoff to Barlow road. 

24 ‘‘(x) Naches Pass Trail. 


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1 ‘‘(4) PONY EXPRESS NATIONAL HISTORIC

2 TRAIL.—The Secretary of the Interior shall under3 take a study of the approximately 20-mile southern 

4 alternative route of the Pony Express Trail from 

5 Wathena, Kansas, to Troy, Kansas, and such other 

6 routes of the Pony Express Trail that the Secretary 

7 considers appropriate, to determine the feasibility 

8 and suitability of designation of one or more of the 

9 routes as components of the Pony Express National 

10 Historic Trail. 

11 ‘‘(5) CALIFORNIA NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL.— 

12 ‘‘(A) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Secretary of 

13 the Interior shall undertake a study of the Mis14 souri Valley, central, and western routes of the 

15 California Trail listed in subparagraph (B) and 

16 generally depicted on the map entitled ‘Western 

17 Emigrant Trails 1830/1870’ and dated 1991/ 

18 1993, and of such other and shared Missouri 

19 Valley, central, and western routes that the 

20 Secretary considers appropriate, to determine 

21 the feasibility and suitability of designation of 

22 one or more of the routes as components of the 

23 California National Historic Trail. 


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1 ‘‘(B) COVERED ROUTES.—The routes to be 

2 studied under subparagraph (A) shall include 

3 the following: 

4 ‘‘(i) MISSOURI VALLEY ROUTES.— 

5 ‘‘(I) Blue Mills—Independence 

6 Road. 

7 ‘‘(II) Westport Landing Road. 

8 ‘‘(III) Westport—Lawrence 

9 Road. 

10 ‘‘(IV) Fort Leavenworth—Blue 

11 River route. 

12 ‘‘(V) Road to Amazonia. 

13 ‘‘(VI) Union Ferry Route. 

14 ‘‘(VII) Old Wyoming—Nebraska 

15 City cutoff. 

16 ‘‘(VIII) Lower Plattsmouth 

17 Route. 

18 ‘‘(IX) Lower Bellevue Route. 

19 ‘‘(X) Woodbury cutoff. 

20 ‘‘(XI) Blue Ridge cutoff. 

21 ‘‘(XII) Westport Road. 

22 ‘‘(XIII) Gum Springs—Fort 

23 Leavenworth route. 

24 ‘‘(XIV) Atchison/Independence 

25 Creek routes. 


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1 ‘‘(XV) Fort Leavenworth—Kan2 sas River route. 

3 ‘‘(XVI) Nebraska City cutoff 

4 routes. 

5 ‘‘(XVII) Minersville—Nebraska 

6 City Road. 

7 ‘‘(XVIII) Upper Plattsmouth 

8 route. 

9 ‘‘(XIX) Upper Bellevue route. 

10 ‘‘(ii) CENTRAL ROUTES.— 

11 ‘‘(I) Cherokee Trail, including 

12 splits. 

13 ‘‘(II) Weber Canyon route of 

14 Hastings cutoff. 

15 ‘‘(III) Bishop Creek cutoff. 

16 ‘‘(IV) McAuley cutoff. 

17 ‘‘(V) Diamond Springs cutoff. 

18 ‘‘(VI) Secret Pass. 

19 ‘‘(VII) Greenhorn cutoff. 

20 ‘‘(VIII) Central Overland Trail. 

21 ‘‘(iii) WESTERN ROUTES.— 

22 ‘‘(I) Bidwell—Bartleson route. 

23 ‘‘(II) Georgetown/Dagget Pass 

24 Trail. 

25 ‘‘(III) Big Trees Road. 


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1 ‘‘(IV) Grizzly Flat cutoff. 

2 ‘‘(V) Nevada City Road. 

3 ‘‘(VI) Yreka Trail. 

4 ‘‘(VII) Henness Pass route. 

5 ‘‘(VIII) Johnson cutoff. 

6 ‘‘(IX) Luther Pass Trail. 

7 ‘‘(X) Volcano Road. 

8 ‘‘(XI) Sacramento—Coloma 

9 Wagon Road. 

10 ‘‘(XII) Burnett cutoff. 

11 ‘‘(XIII) Placer County Road to 

12 Auburn. 

13 ‘‘(6) MORMON PIONEER NATIONAL HISTORIC

14 TRAIL.— 

15 ‘‘(A) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Secretary of 

16 the Interior shall undertake a study of the 

17 routes of the Mormon Pioneer Trail listed in 

18 subparagraph (B) and generally depicted in the 

19 map entitled ‘Western Emigrant Trails 1830/ 

20 1870’ and dated 1991/1993, and of such other 

21 routes of the Mormon Pioneer Trail that the 

22 Secretary considers appropriate, to determine 

23 the feasibility and suitability of designation of 

24 one or more of the routes as components of the 

25 Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail. 


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1 ‘‘(B) COVERED ROUTES.—The routes to be 

2 studied under subparagraph (A) shall include 

3 the following: 

4 ‘‘(i) 1846 Subsequent routes A and B 

5 (Lucas and Clarke Counties, Iowa). 

6 ‘‘(ii) 1856–57 Handcart route (Iowa 

7 City to Council Bluffs). 

8 ‘‘(iii) Keokuk route (Iowa). 

9 ‘‘(iv) 1847 Alternative Elkhorn and 

10 Loup River Crossings in Nebraska. 

11 ‘‘(v) Fort Leavenworth Road; Ox Bow 

12 route and alternates in Kansas and Mis13 souri (Oregon and California Trail routes 

14 used by Mormon emigrants). 

15 ‘‘(vi) 1850 Golden Pass Road in 

16 Utah. 

17 ‘‘(7) SHARED CALIFORNIA AND OREGON TRAIL

18 ROUTES.— 

19 ‘‘(A) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Secretary of 

20 the Interior shall undertake a study of the 

21 shared routes of the California Trail and Or22 egon Trail listed in subparagraph (B) and gen23 erally depicted on the map entitled ‘Western 

24 Emigrant Trails 1830/1870’ and dated 1991/ 

25 1993, and of such other shared routes that the 


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1 Secretary considers appropriate, to determine 

2 the feasibility and suitability of designation of 

3 one or more of the routes as shared components 

4 of the California National Historic Trail and 

5 the Oregon National Historic Trail. 

6 ‘‘(B) COVERED ROUTES.—The routes to be 

7 studied under subparagraph (A) shall include 

8 the following: 

9 ‘‘(i) St. Joe Road. 

10 ‘‘(ii) Council Bluffs Road. 

11 ‘‘(iii) Sublette cutoff. 

12 ‘‘(iv) Applegate route. 

13 ‘‘(v) Old Fort Kearny Road (Oxbow 

14 Trail). 

15 ‘‘(vi) Childs cutoff. 

16 ‘‘(vii) Raft River to Applegate.’’. 

Æ 


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