After the agitation between Texas and Mexico, at the beginning of the US war with Mexico when the California Republic was declared, a number of formerly American merchants living in Santa Fe decided to migrate to Califonia, finding it increasingly difficult to live in peace in a Mexican territory with so much conflict breaking out. There departure forced the evolution of the Old Spanish Trail into a wagon road, which required some minor route changes.

At Emigrant Pass you can see the faint traces of the mule road and the wagon road coming together at the pass.

A good way to appreciate the rigors of this trail is to read the historical/romance novel Jubilee Trail (1950) by Gwen Bristow [see bibliography], or see the movie Jubilee trail (1954) [ASIN: 6301598946] based on the book.

Last update 12:51 PM Fri. 27-Feb-2004 by ABS.