Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail
National Trails System
Washington Rochambeau Revolutionary Route Study
|
Click here to read online
|
What are National Historic Trails?
|
The National Trails Act of 1968 cemented the status of
America's best recreational trails, but it wasn't until the
next decade that the concept of protecting our legacy
through National Historic Trails (NHTs) came to the
fore. Steve Elkinton of the National Park Service calls
them "pilgrimage routes," and "dynamic stories of
movement across our landscape-stories that are
best told and experienced on the land or water."
There are three main criteria for becoming a NHT:
- First, the trail has to have been the actual
route of travel of a person or event that has national
significance, as ruled upon by the National Park
Service Advisory Board (the event could be anything
from a military campaign to a trade route to an
immigration path).
- Second, it has to be a route that was
documented well enough that we can establish its
exact location with certainty.
- Third, people must be able to enjoy the
trail today from a recreational perspective.
|
What are the Challenges in Designating National Historic Trails?
|
The biggest challenge in designating National Historic
Trails is the fact that so much history has already
receded from our grasp. "Historic trails are hard to
present because of subsequent changes," says
Elkinton. "What might have been a dusty road where
French troops marched years ago is now a four-lane
highway. It's hard to present it as a coherent travel
path, especially in urban areas." Additionally, people
didn't always follow organized paths. The routes can
be discontinuous and complex; says Elkinton, "The
search for authenticity never ends. You may think you
know where the Oregon Trail is until you find a new
journal."
|
What are Examples of Recently-Created NHTs, or Those Under Consideration?
|
The most recently created National Historic Trail,
which was designated last year, is the Captain John
Smith Water Trail. This water trail rims the
Chesapeake and tracks the voyages of Smith, one of
first Jamestown settlers, who discovered 200 Native
American communities and documented the
shoreline of Chesapeake.
In part due to the "repurposing" of historic trails over
time by residents and the lack of remnants, there are
presently no National Historic Trails in New England-
but that may be about to change. The proposed
Washington-Rochambeau Trail marks a chapter in
Revolutionary history in which the French, at the
behest of Ben Franklin, sent help to the Americans in
their fight against the British. The troops-under the
command of General Rochambeau-arrived and
spent the winter in Newport, Rhode Island; marched
with heavy artillery across Connecticut; moved down
the Atlantic coast; and helped George Washington
defeat the Redcoats. French cartographers
meticulously chronicled the route, allowing us to
reconstruct their travels with astonishing accuracy
today.
The trail with the most recent history is the Selma to
Montgomery National Historic Trail which
commemorates the events, people, and route of the
1965 Voting Rights March in Alabama. The 54-mile
trail follows the historic voting rights march by
beginning at the Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church in
Selma, and crossing the Edmond Pettus Bridge. The
marchers traveled along U.S. Highway 80 in Dallas
County, continued through Lowndes County and
Montgomery County, and ended the five day trek at the
Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery.
|
How Can We Get Our Trail Designated?
|
It's not easy to win designation as a National Historic
Trail. If you feel your trail has merit, an important step
is to work with your Congressional delegation to get a
bill passed requesting a feasibility study. But before
that can happen, you must develop a strong citizen
base of support that will advocate for the trail over the
long term. Grassroots advocacy is key, says
Elkinton: "A trail with a well-organized constituency is
essential to success."
|
Let's Work Together
|
If you're working on restoring a river, building a trail,
or making an urban park flourish, we'd love to talk
with you about ways we might be able to work
together. Please call or email your regional
representative today to determine if your project
is a good fit. Find more information and previous
newsletters here.
Apply for NPS assistance by August 1.
Could your project benefit from 1-2 years' staff time
and technical assistance from a National Park Service
specialist? We want to help you succeed.
Download a program application; the
deadline is August 1, 2008.
|
|
|