The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1902-11-06
FOLLOW OLD TRAILS
HIGHWAYS OF COMMERCE BUILT
IN PIONEERS PATHWAYS.
Spanlards Blazed Roads in California
When the United States Was Strug-
Cling for independence.

The early explorers and pioneers of
the western part of the United States
made the paths that are now the great
railway highways of commerce. The
mountains and the routes of the pres
ent transcontinental railways are
closely associated, as in the greater
number Of cases the big western rail-
roads followed the course Of the
wagon tracks of fifty years ago. When
the American colonies were declaring
their independence OF Great Britain
the "old Spanish trail' was being laid
out by a party under the command
of Francisco Sylvester Velez Esca-
lante, in the interest Of the Spanish
missions In California.
This expedition left Santa Fe in
July, 1776, and after travelling over
what is now known as the San Juan
country, reached a spot where Grand
Junction, Col, an important present
day railway center, is located. From
there the party 'trailed" to Salt Lake
and from there TO Los Angeles, Cal.
The new Denver & Northwestern rail-
road and the Salt Lake & Los Angeles
line will closely follow much of this
old Spanish trail.
The Union Pacific railroad runs
over the old Platte-Overland route
from Omaha to ogden, and the Atchi-
son, Topeka & Santa Fe follows for
H.., - ha oil 20
Fe trail. while in Arizona the same
road touches at many points the
southern overland trail. The Santa
Fe trail runs through the Ration
mountains (southern spurs Of the
Rocky mountains in New Mexico),
and the engineers who built the Santa
Fe railroad found many problems
solved in the way OF mountain rail-
way construction by simply following
the trail of the Spaniards Of many
years ago.
There are still to be seen along this
trail Spanish houses that were built
in the time when that part Of the
country was within Mexican territory,
while there are also many roadhouses
that fifty years ago dispensed cheer
and comfort 10 the weary travellers
who crossed the plains and mountains
for the precious yellow metal.
The Rio Grande system follows the
trails made by Gunnison in 1S53-54.
The Colorado Southern. from Fort
Collins to Trinidad, Col. runs along
the trail between Fort Laramie and
Fort Union, and the oregon Short line
is built along the Oregon trail from
Salt Lake to Columbia The Central
Pacific now owned by the Southern
PACIFIC, runs from ogden to San Fran
cisco by route that many years ago
was travelled by Spaniards and In
dams, across the northern end Of the
Great American desert and through
the beautiful Sierra Nevada noun
tains.
From the snow-capped summit of
the Sierra Nevada mountains to the
green fields around San Francisco is a
question of eight hours by the fast
overland limited on the Southern
Pacific, and along the route may still
be seen the path or trail that years
ago required many days Of work and
danger successfully to traverse. From
Denver to Salt Lake City the Denver
a Rio Grande railroad follows old
trails and the Grand River, along
which the wandering Mormons plod-
ded on their way to the hoped-for
haven of rest. Both the Rock Island
and Union Pacific, says the New York
Tribune, follow ancient trails. and the
big Rock Island bridge at Omaha
crosses the Missouri river from Coun-
ell Bluffs at a point where the wealth
seekers from the east, with their
families. live stock and prairie
schooners. used to ford the muddy
rfraam