The Old Spanish Trail was "the longest, crookedest, most arduous pack mule trail in the history of America," and is also one of the least known. Yet between 1829 and 1848 hundreds of traders, soldiers, merchants, horse thieves and Indians traveled the torturous route between Santa Fe and Los Angeles. The tales of this trail record the activities, the successes and failures of peoples of many ethnic origins who laid the foundation of society in the Southwest and California.
The Trail split into two routes north of Santa Fe. One went northwest past Colorado's San Juan Mountains to near Green River, Utah. The other went north to the San Luis Valley, crossed Cochetope Pass and generally followed the Gunnison and Colorado Rivers until it reached the Southern Branch near Green River.
Cottonwood Canyon
This beautiful, cool, camping and hiking canyon is just off the Old Spanish Trail, an abandoned narrow gauge railroad grade, and the Tidwell Draw road.
Interesting Formation on Tidwell Draw Road
Narrow gauge railroad grade culvert. Notice: there was no mortar used in laying the rocks.
This narrow gauge railroad was never finished. No tracks were ever laid, nor were any bridges built, though the grade itself and most of the small culverts were finished. Chinese helped to build the grade, remains of their huts can still be seen off the Green River cut-off road in the San Rafael Swell.
