Join Us & Preserve Historic Trails!
Trails Head Involvement
Are you interested in the historic roads and trails that came from Missouri and crossed into Kansas?
In the early 1820s, the Santa Fe Trail came from central Missouri and crossed what is now the Kansas City metro area and headed toward the Southwest. As wagon traffic began shifting westward, Independence and Westport became trailheads for not only the Santa Fe Trail, but also for the Oregon and California trails. A number of other historic roads, such as a north-to-south Military Road, crossed those routes of the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California trails. This network of roads did not stop at the western edge of what is now the Greater Kansas City area. When nineteenth-century trail travelers outfitted in Independence or Westport and headed to Oregon or California, they proceeded on through Lawrence and Topeka. Those travelers continued to encounter variations in routes.
All this variation in the network of trails means that Trails Head followers can become life-long learners of the historic roads in not only the Kansas City area, but also in northeastern Kansas to the Red Vermillion Crossing northwest of St. Marys. The OCTA Kanza Chapter promotes interest in the Oregon and California historic trails from the Trails Head area to the Nebraska state line.
You not only can learn about historic trails in Kansas City area and beyond, but you also can choose to be a researcher if you wish. Trails Head became the third chapter of the Oregon-California Trails Association in 1986. Now over 30 years later, Trails Head members continue to come up with more questions to pursue.
The Trails Head researcher can find many archives, museums, and libraries of interest in the Greater Kansas City area, Lawrence, Topeka, St. Marys, and still other places.
To join Trails Head, you first must join the parent organization, the Oregon-California Trails Association (OCTA). More info can be found at the OCTA website:
Oregon-California Trails Association.
The Emigrant level is the basic membership for individuals. As with any membership, you will receive the Overland Journal, OCTA’s quarterly scholarly journal and News From The Plains, OCTA’s quarterly newsletter. You will receive a 5% discount on books and merchandise from the OCTA online store and catalog. You are also eligible for one vote in OCTA’s annual election, and you will be invited to OCTA annual conventions and symposia.
As at all levels of membership, you have the opportunity to join a local OCTA chapter, and you will have access to a members-only section of OCTA’s website (www.octa-trails.org).
Trails Head membership is $10.00 for individual or family. This entitles you to receive the newsletter and to receive notices of all chapter activities. A nominal fee is charged for occasional field trips.
You may set a bookmark at this place, so you can return when you are ready to join OCTA and Trails Head. You may join online by clicking “Get Your Membership” button at the bottom of this page or to join through the mail, click the link below this paragraph for the Printable version of the membership application. Print it out, and send with your payment to the address printed on the application.
Click here for printable OCTA membership application
If you would like to make a donation to Trails Head to help preserve historic trails and to spread the word about these national treasures, you may donate online at the OCTA National site or to make arrangements over the phone call our National office: 816-252-2276.
You will receive notice of your membership and/or donation. Thank you for visiting the Trails Head website and for wanting to join or donate. There is much to learn about historic trails. Please return to the site often for new updates.
Supporting the Historic Trails
