I 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 54 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 27, 2005 

Referred to the Committee on 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, 
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1 SECTION 1. REVISION OF FEASIBILITY AND SUITABILITY 

2 STUDIES OF EXISTING NATIONAL HISTORIC 

3 TRAILS. 

4 Section 5 of the National Trails System Act (16 

5 U.S.C. 1244) is amended by inserting the following new 

6 subsection: 

7 ‘‘(g) REVISION OF FEASIBILITY AND SUITABILITY

8 STUDIES OF EXISTING NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAILS.— 

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

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

11 trail segment commonly known as a cutoff. 

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

13 route’ means a route that was a segment of 

14 more than one historic trail, including a route 

15 shared with an existing national historic trail. 

16 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS FOR REVISION.— 

17 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

18 revise the feasibility and suitability studies for 

19 certain national trails for consideration of pos20 sible additions to the trails. 

21 ‘‘(B) STUDY REQUIREMENTS AND OBJEC22 TIVES.—The study requirements and objectives 

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

24 required by this subsection. 

25 ‘‘(C) COMPLETION AND SUBMISSION OF

26 STUDY.—A study listed in this subsection shall 
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1 be completed and submitted to Congress not 

2 later than 3 complete fiscal years from the date 

3 funds are made available for the study. 

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

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

6 the Interior shall undertake a study of the 

7 routes of the Oregon Trail listed in subpara8 graph (B) and generally depicted on the map 

9 entitled ‘Western Emigrant Trails 1830/1870’ 

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

11 of the Oregon Trail that the Secretary con12 siders appropriate, to determine the feasibility 

13 and suitability of designation of one or more of 

14 the routes as components of the Oregon Na15 tional Historic Trail. 

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

17 studied under subparagraph (A) shall include 

18 the following: 

19 ‘‘(i) Whitman Mission route. 

20 ‘‘(ii) Upper Columbia River. 

21 ‘‘(iii) Cowlitz River route. 

22 ‘‘(iv) Meek cutoff. 

23 ‘‘(v) Free Emigrant Road. 

24 ‘‘(vi) North Alternate Oregon Trail. 

25 ‘‘(vii) Goodale’s cutoff. 
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1 ‘‘(viii) North Side alternate route. 

2 ‘‘(ix) Cutoff to Barlow road. 

3 ‘‘(x) Naches Pass Trail. 

4 ‘‘(4) PONY EXPRESS NATIONAL HISTORIC

5 TRAIL.—The Secretary of the Interior shall under6 take a study of the approximately 20-mile southern 

7 alternative route of the Pony Express Trail from 

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

9 routes of the Pony Express Trail that the Secretary 

10 considers appropriate, to determine the feasibility 

11 and suitability of designation of one or more of the 

12 routes as components of the Pony Express National 

13 Historic Trail. 

14 ‘‘(5) CALIFORNIA NATIONAL HISTORIC

15 TRAIL.— 

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

17 the Interior shall undertake a study of the Mis18 souri Valley, central, and western routes of the 

19 California Trail listed in subparagraph (B) and 

20 generally depicted on the map entitled ‘Western 

21 Emigrant Trails 1830/1870’ and dated 1991/ 

22 1993, and of such other and shared Missouri 

23 Valley, central, and western routes that the 

24 Secretary considers appropriate, to determine 

25 the feasibility and suitability of designation of 
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1 one or more of the routes as components of the 

2 California National Historic Trail. 

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

4 studied under subparagraph (A) shall include 

5 the following: 

6 ‘‘(i) MISSOURI VALLEY ROUTES.— 

7 ‘‘(I) Blue Mills-Independence 

8 Road. 

9 ‘‘(II) Westport Landing Road. 

10 ‘‘(III) Westport-Lawrence Road. 

11 ‘‘(IV) Fort Leavenworth-Blue 

12 River route. 

13 ‘‘(V) Road to Amazonia. 

14 ‘‘(VI) Union Ferry Route. 

15 ‘‘(VII) Old Wyoming-Nebraska 

16 City cutoff. 

17 ‘‘(VIII) Lower Plattsmouth 

18 Route. 

19 ‘‘(IX) Lower Bellevue Route. 

20 ‘‘(X) Woodbury cutoff. 

21 ‘‘(XI) Blue Ridge cutoff. 

22 ‘‘(XII) Westport Road. 

23 ‘‘(XIII) Gum Springs-Fort Leav24 enworth route. 
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1 ‘‘(XIV) Atchison/Independence 

2 Creek routes. 

3 ‘‘(XV) Fort Leavenworth-Kansas 

4 River route. 

5 ‘‘(XVI) Nebraska City cutoff 

6 routes. 

7 ‘‘(XVII) Minersville-Nebraska 

8 City Road. 

9 ‘‘(XVIII) Upper Plattsmouth 

10 route. 

11 ‘‘(XIX) Upper Bellevue route. 

12 ‘‘(ii) CENTRAL ROUTES.— 

13 ‘‘(I) Cherokee Trail, including 

14 splits. 

15 ‘‘(II) Weber Canyon route of 

16 Hastings cutoff. 

17 ‘‘(III) Bishop Creek cutoff. 

18 ‘‘(IV) McAuley cutoff. 

19 ‘‘(V) Diamond Springs cutoff. 

20 ‘‘(VI) Secret Pass. 

21 ‘‘(VII) Greenhorn cutoff. 

22 ‘‘(VIII) Central Overland Trail. 

23 ‘‘(iii) WESTERN ROUTES.— 

24 ‘‘(I) Bidwell-Bartleson route. 
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1 ‘‘(II) Georgetown/Dagget Pass 

2 Trail. 

3 ‘‘(III) Big Trees Road. 

4 ‘‘(IV) Grizzly Flat cutoff. 

5 ‘‘(V) Nevada City Road. 

6 ‘‘(VI) Yreka Trail. 

7 ‘‘(VII) Henness Pass route. 

8 ‘‘(VIII) Johnson cutoff. 

9 ‘‘(IX) Luther Pass Trail. 

10 ‘‘(X) Volcano Road. 

11 ‘‘(XI) Sacramento-Coloma 

12 Wagon Road. 

13 ‘‘(XII) Burnett cutoff. 

14 ‘‘(XIII) Placer County Road to 

15 Auburn. 

16 ‘‘(6) MORMON PIONEER NATIONAL HISTORIC

17 TRAIL.— 

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

19 the Interior shall undertake a study of the 

20 routes of the Mormon Pioneer Trail listed in 

21 subparagraph (B) and generally depicted in the 

22 map entitled ‘Western Emigrant Trails 1830/ 

23 1870’ and dated 1991/1993, and of such other 

24 routes of the Mormon Pioneer Trail that the 

25 Secretary considers appropriate, to determine 
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1 the feasibility and suitability of designation of 

2 one or more of the routes as components of the 

3 Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail. 

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

5 studied under subparagraph (A) shall include 

6 the following: 

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

8 (Lucas and Clarke Counties, Iowa). 

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

10 City to Council Bluffs). 

11 ‘‘(iii) Keokuk route (Iowa). 

12 ‘‘(iv) 1847 Alternative Elkhorn and 

13 Loup River Crossings in Nebraska. 

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

15 route and alternates in Kansas and Mis16 souri (Oregon and California Trail routes 

17 used by Mormon emigrants). 

18 ‘‘(vi) 1850 Golden Pass Road in 

19 Utah. 

20 ‘‘(7) SHARED CALIFORNIA AND OREGON TRAIL

21 ROUTES.— 

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

23 the Interior shall undertake a study of the 

24 shared routes of the California Trail and Or25 egon Trail listed in subparagraph (B) and gen-
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1 erally depicted on the map entitled ‘Western 

2 Emigrant Trails 1830/1870’ and dated 1991/ 

3 1993, and of such other shared routes that the 

4 Secretary considers appropriate, to determine 

5 the feasibility and suitability of designation of 

6 one or more of the routes as shared components 

7 of the California National Historic Trail and 

8 the Oregon National Historic Trail. 

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

10 studied under subparagraph (A) shall include 

11 the following: 

12 ‘‘(i) St. Joe Road. 

13 ‘‘(ii) Council Bluffs Road. 

14 ‘‘(iii) Sublette cutoff. 

15 ‘‘(iv) Applegate route. 

16 ‘‘(v) Old Fort Kearny Road (Oxbow 

17 Trail). 

18 ‘‘(vi) Childs cutoff. 

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

Passed the Senate July 26, 2005. 

Attest: EMILY J. REYNOLDS, 

Secretary.