II 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 54 

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 24, 2005 

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

to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

AN ACT 

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 inserting the following new 

8 subsection: 
2 

S 54 IS 

1 ‘‘(g) The Secretary shall revise the feasibility and 

2 suitability studies for certain national trails for consider3 ation of possible additions to the trails. 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— 

5 ‘‘(A) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

6 ‘‘(i) ROUTE.—The term ‘route’ in7 cludes a trail segment commonly known as 

8 a cutoff. 

9 ‘‘(ii) SHARED ROUTE.—The term 

10 ‘shared route’ means a route that was a 

11 segment of more than one historic trail, in12 cluding a route shared with an existing na13 tional historic trail. 

14 ‘‘(B) STUDY REQUIREMENTS AND OBJEC15 TIVES.—The study requirements and objectives 

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

17 required by this subsection. 

18 ‘‘(C) COMPLETION AND SUBMISSION OF

19 STUDY.—A study listed in this subsection shall 

20 be completed and submitted to the Congress 

21 not later than three complete fiscal years from 

22 the date funds are made available for the study. 

23 ‘‘(2) OREGON NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL.— 

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

25 the Interior shall undertake a study of the 
3 

S 54 IS 

1 routes of the Oregon Trail listed in subpara2 graph (B) and generally depicted on the map 

3 entitled ‘Western Emigrant Trails 1830/1870’ 

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

5 of the Oregon Trail that the Secretary con6 siders appropriate, to determine the feasibility 

7 and suitability of designation of one or more of 

8 the routes as components of the Oregon Na9 tional Historic Trail. 

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

11 studied under subparagraph (A) shall include 

12 the following: 

13 ‘‘(i) Whitman Mission route. 

14 ‘‘(ii) Upper Columbia River. 

15 ‘‘(iii) Cowlitz River route. 

16 ‘‘(iv) Meek cutoff. 

17 ‘‘(v) Free Emigrant Road. 

18 ‘‘(vi) North Alternate Oregon Trail. 

19 ‘‘(vii) Goodale’s cutoff. 

20 ‘‘(viii) North Side alternate route. 

21 ‘‘(ix) Cutoff to Barlow road. 

22 ‘‘(x) Naches Pass Trail. 

23 ‘‘(3) PONY EXPRESS NATIONAL HISTORIC

24 TRAIL.—The Secretary of the Interior shall under25 take a study of the approximately 20-mile southern 
4 

S 54 IS 

1 alternative route of the Pony Express Trail from 

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

3 routes of the Pony Express Trail that the Secretary 

4 considers appropriate, to determine the feasibility 

5 and suitability of designation of one or more of the 

6 routes as components of the Pony Express National 

7 Historic Trail. 

8 ‘‘(4) CALIFORNIA NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL.— 

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

10 the Interior shall undertake a study of the Mis11 souri Valley, central, and western routes of the 

12 California Trail listed in subparagraph (B) and 

13 generally depicted on the map entitled ‘Western 

14 Emigrant Trails 1830/1870’ and dated 1991/ 

15 1993, and of such other and shared Missouri 

16 Valley, central, and western routes that the 

17 Secretary considers appropriate, to determine 

18 the feasibility and suitability of designation of 

19 one or more of the routes as components of the 

20 California National Historic Trail. 

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

22 studied under subparagraph (A) shall include 

23 the following: 

24 ‘‘(i) MISSOURI VALLEY ROUTES.— 
5 

S 54 IS 

1 ‘‘(I) Blue Mills-Independence 

2 Road. 

3 ‘‘(II) Westport Landing Road. 

4 ‘‘(III) Westport-Lawrence Road. 

5 ‘‘(IV) Fort Leavenworth-Blue 

6 River route. 

7 ‘‘(V) Road to Amazonia. 

8 ‘‘(VI) Union Ferry Route. 

9 ‘‘(VII) Old Wyoming-Nebraska 

10 City cutoff. 

11 ‘‘(VIII) Lower Plattsmouth 

12 Route. 

13 ‘‘(IX) Lower Bellevue Route. 

14 ‘‘(X) Woodbury cutoff. 

15 ‘‘(XI) Blue Ridge cutoff. 

16 ‘‘(XII) Westport Road. 

17 ‘‘(XIII) Gum Springs-Fort Leav18 enworth route. 

19 ‘‘(XIV) Atchison/Independence 

20 Creek routes. 

21 ‘‘(XV) Fort Leavenworth-Kansas 

22 River route. 

23 ‘‘(XVI) Nebraska City cutoff 

24 routes. 
6 

S 54 IS 

1 ‘‘(XVII) Minersville-Nebraska 

2 City Road. 

3 ‘‘(XVIII) Upper Plattsmouth 

4 route. 

5 ‘‘(XIX) Upper Bellevue route. 

6 ‘‘(ii) CENTRAL ROUTES.— 

7 ‘‘(I) Cherokee Trail, including 

8 splits. 

9 ‘‘(II) Weber Canyon route of 

10 Hastings cutoff. 

11 ‘‘(III) Bishop Creek cutoff. 

12 ‘‘(IV) McAuley cutoff. 

13 ‘‘(V) Diamond Springs cutoff. 

14 ‘‘(VI) Secret Pass. 

15 ‘‘(VII) Greenhorn cutoff. 

16 ‘‘(VIII) Central Overland Trail. 

17 ‘‘(iii) WESTERN ROUTES.— 

18 ‘‘(I) Bidwell-Bartleson route. 

19 ‘‘(II) Georgetown/Dagget Pass 

20 Trail. 

21 ‘‘(III) Big Trees Road. 

22 ‘‘(IV) Grizzly Flat cutoff. 

23 ‘‘(V) Nevada City Road. 

24 ‘‘(VI) Yreka Trail. 

25 ‘‘(VII) Henness Pass route. 
7 

S 54 IS 

1 ‘‘(VIII) Johnson cutoff. 

2 ‘‘(IX) Luther Pass Trail. 

3 ‘‘(X) Volcano Road. 

4 ‘‘(XI) Sacramento-Coloma 

5 Wagon Road. 

6 ‘‘(XII) Burnett cutoff. 

7 ‘‘(XIII) Placer County Road to 

8 Auburn. 

9 ‘‘(5) MORMON PIONEER NATIONAL HISTORIC

10 TRAIL.— 

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

12 the Interior shall undertake a study of the 

13 routes of the Mormon Pioneer Trail listed in 

14 subparagraph (B) and generally depicted in the 

15 map entitled ‘Western Emigrant Trails 1830/ 

16 1870’ and dated 1991/1993, and of such other 

17 routes of the Mormon Pioneer Trail that the 

18 Secretary considers appropriate, to determine 

19 the feasibility and suitability of designation of 

20 one or more of the routes as components of the 

21 Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail. 

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

23 studied under subparagraph (A) shall include 

24 the following: 
8 

S 54 IS 

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

2 (Lucas and Clarke Counties, Iowa). 

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

4 City to Council Bluffs). 

5 ‘‘(iii) Keokuk route (Iowa). 

6 ‘‘(iv) 1847 Alternative Elkhorn and 

7 Loup River Crossings in Nebraska. 

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

9 route and alternates in Kansas and Mis10 souri (Oregon and California Trail routes 

11 used by Mormon emigrants). 

12 ‘‘(vi) 1850 Golden Pass Road in 

13 Utah. 

14 ‘‘(6) SHARED CALIFORNIA AND OREGON TRAIL

15 ROUTES.— 

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

17 the Interior shall undertake a study of the 

18 shared routes of the California Trail and Or19 egon Trail listed in subparagraph (B) and gen20 erally depicted on the map entitled ‘Western 

21 Emigrant Trails 1830/1870’ and dated 1991/ 

22 1993, and of such other shared routes that the 

23 Secretary considers appropriate, to determine 

24 the feasibility and suitability of designation of 

25 one or more of the routes as shared components 
9 

S 54 IS 

1 of the California National Historic Trail and 

2 the Oregon National Historic Trail. 

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

4 studied under subparagraph (A) shall include 

5 the following: 

6 ‘‘(i) St. Joe Road. 

7 ‘‘(ii) Council Bluffs Road. 

8 ‘‘(iii) Sublette cutoff. 

9 ‘‘(iv) Applegate route. 

10 ‘‘(v) Old Fort Kearny Road (Oxbow 

11 Trail). 

12 ‘‘(vi) Childs cutoff. 

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

Æ