Trails West members and their families make work seem like play and it’s all for a good cause—emigrant trail location, marking and interpretation.

Our primary activity is installing, and maintaining, distinctive steel-rail “T” markers along the many emigrant trails leading to California.  So far we have placed nearly 600 markers on trails beginning in southeastern Idaho on the California Trail, extending across northern Nevada on the Humboldt River route and the Hastings Cutoff, and continuing into northern California on the Applegate, Nobles, Beckwourth, Truckee, Yreka and Carson Trails.  Currently, we are making plans to mark the Johnson Cutoff, beginning near Carson City and ending near Placerville.

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Usually, two field trips are scheduled each summer for placing and/ or maintaining these markers.  Here’s where the work and fun begins.  In order to install each marker, we have to dig a hole 24”-30” deep in ground that can be compacted and rocky.  Then we anchor the marker with gathered rocks and two bags of concrete.  All of this work requires digging bars, shovels, heavy lifting and lots of sweat.

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Don’t forget the maintenance field trips. With hundreds of markers in three States, keeping tabs on their condition is an ongoing process.  Unfortunately, every year a few markers are vandalized, either from someone trying to pry off the aluminum inscription plate or by using them for target practice.  When this happens, we have to replace those plates. This is a labor intensive process.  Also, we occasionally have to relocate an existing marker to get it out of the way of new developments or get it closer to the trail.

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At the end of the day’s work, we drive to our campsite which is often located in a remote area where there are no camping facilities. After setting up our camp, we gather around for libations, relaxation, and story telling.  We usually have a potluck dinner, always a highlight, on the first evening of these three-day field trips.

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Hold on, there’s more to the making of a Trails West field trip.  Before any marker can be installed in the field, planning, research, scouting marker locations, and getting permission from land owners or government agencies must all take place.  Also, the markers must be fabricated, the inscription plates must be engraved and then the plates must be riveted to the cross bar of the marker.

Trails West volunteers fabricate each marker from the hundreds of feet of raw, rusted rail stored at one of our members back acres.  Each year we organize work parties to cut, weld, and drill the two-hundred pound, five foot long, steel-rail markers needed for the coming field season.  It’s dirty work for the guys and gals but the camaraderie, and sometimes a barbeque, turn it into an enjoyable event.

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While the markers are being fabricated, the inscription plate preparation process is taking place.  This process begins with doing the research in emigrant diaries to locate the inscriptions that are to be engraved on the plates. This is a tedious and time consuming process. Then the dirty work begins with the plates being drilled and counter sunk with four holes for mounting to the horizontal rail.  The plates are then engraved with the emigrant accounts relating to the trail location of the marker. After engraving, the next step in the process is filling in the engraved letters with black paint to make them more legible.  As you can see, it takes a lot of steps to bring the plates to the finished stage.

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The last phase of getting a marker ready to go in the ground is to rivet the finished inscription plate to the crossbar of the newly fabricated “T” rail marker. This is done, whenever possible, before the marker is transported to the field. This process entails inserting the four stainless steel rivets through the plate and the web of the marker, clamping on a steel backing plate, and then flattening the protruding end of each rivet by hammering it flat. This process really secures the plate to the marker.

Not all of Trails West activities involve preparing and placing markers.  Because there are so many markers in our inventory, we have begun a new type of field trip that combines the enjoyment of a trail tour with monitoring marker conditions.  These trips are led by a knowledgeable leader using one of the Trails West guidebooks to tour a trail we have marked.  Depending on the trail toured, sometimes 4WD vehicles are required and other times only high-clearance vehicles are needed.  For communication and safety, we always use CB radios.

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Another and very important activity of Trails West is producing trail guidebooks to our many markers.  Currently we have six of them with four more in progress.  A number of Trails Westers are involved in all aspects of these guidebooks—writing, photography, cartography, computer formatting, editing and proofing.

Come join us in the passion we have to preserve emigrant trails and introduce others to this genuine western heritage.  It’s work but it is also rewarding and fun.