Celebration of New Chance to Travel the Old Spanish Trail
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PAROWAN, Utah – In celebration of Iron County’s legacy as a reservoir of the treasured Old Spanish Trail history, a ceremony marking the installation of the last of 85 new signs along 80 miles of the Old Spanish Trail is scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22 in the Parowan Library, 16 S. Main Street.
The route is the longest signed segment of the trail and is an effort by 12 partners that spanned two years.
“Iron County has a special place in the history of the Old Spanish Trail, primarily because segments of the trail can still be identified and located by ground and aerial survey,” said Al Matheson, the Utah director of the Old Spanish Trail Association. “There are stories of Spanish garbed specters appearing and giving directions, inscriptions, gold hoards, lost (and) found caches and treasure mines abound throughout the area.”
The Bureau of Land Management and Iron County paid for the signs and posts respectively, with half of the funds coming through a Waypoint Grant from the state of Utah. The sign bases were installed by the Iron County Road Department and the signs were installed in a series of three Eagle Scout projects led by Barrick Perkins, Mason Paxton and Jayden Paxton, of Enoch, Utah.
“The partnerships that brought this project together will keep alive the mule pack trains that kept trade flowing through Utah, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona and California,” said Keith Rigtrup, the BLM’s acting Cedar City field manager.
Other partners include Sun Edison, Clenera Solar, Parowan City, Enoch City, the town of Paragonah, Utah Department of Transportation, the National Parks Service, the U.S. Forest Service and the Old Spanish Trail Association.
“We are excited to have the Old Spanish Trail identified and marked where the public can learn about an almost forgotten era in Iron County’s history,” said Iron County Natural Resource Management Specialist Mike Worthern. “Hopefully, citizens of the county and visitors will take advantage of the information and landmarks of the trail and appreciate the great undertaking of moving goods across the west so long ago.”
For more information about the ceremony, contact Dave Jacobson, BLM Cedar City outdoor recreation planner, at 435-865-3000.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.