The "A Journey" theme calls for a route. The Old Spanish National Historic Trail was a trade and travel corridor between New Mexico and California. It crossed some of the hardest terrain in the West.
Mapping the historic sites, along with the line
The map uses National Park Service trail data. It marks the historic sites along the Utah segment, where travelers crossed the state's canyons and basins on the way west. The line shows the route. The sites show where things happened on it.
Why it's worth mapping
Historic trails get less attention than current thematic data. They are still worth the work. GIS can record and explain history as well as analyze the present. This route connected communities across country that is still hard to cross.
Created for the “A Journey” theme of the 2024 #30DayMapChallenge, using National Park Service trail data.