JOIN US MARCH 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16, 2024 IN EL PASO, TEXAS
2024 Southern Trails Chapter of the Oregon California Trails Association
Trail Gathering in El Paso, TX
Gain an in depth knowledge of the history of El Paso, and the trails that traveled through this area. We have a variety of events and outings! Join like minded individuals as we explore the area together.
Event Schedule
We have several activities scheduled to take advantage of El Paso and the surrounding areas. Join us over several days. Help us keep the trails alive! Our host is Mark Howe for questions or comments email mlhowe1@hotmail.com as well as Cecilia Bell at Cecilialjb@aol.com
DAY 1 - Tuesday March 12, 2024
09:00 AM – 03:00 PM: OCTA board meeting at the Holiday Inn, including lunch from noon to 1 PM (free for board members, officers, chapter presidents, and committee chairs; $20 for all others)
DAY 2 - Wednesday March 13, 2024
Speakers:
- Dr. Troy Ainsworth – El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro
- Dr. Miguel Juarez – Early El Paso
- Dr. Doug Dinwiddie – Destiny’s Spearhead: Alexander Doniphan’s Mexican War March
Lunch
- Larry Francell – Emil Whipple’s Survey of the 35th Parallel
- Cecilia Bell – Anna Maria Morris: Territorial Military Wife in El Paso and Southern New Mexico
- Lt. Col. John Hamilton – Old Fort Bliss
- Danielle Brissette – The Magoffin Family in El Paso
Dinner on your own
Click map for larger version.
DAY 3 - Thursday March 14, 2024
8 AM to 4 PM – Tour one – “Mesilla and Las Cruces”
6 PM to 7 PM – Southern Trails Chapter Meeting
Dinner on your own
DAY 4 - Friday March 15, 2024
Speakers:
- Dan Judkins – Henry Skillman, Mail Carrier and Stage Driver, 1849-1861
- Doug Hocking – Escape from Mesilla, 1861
- Prince McKenzie – The Railroad Arrives in El Paso
Lunch
- Dr. John Bell – The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: Tuberculosis on the Trails
- Dennis Daily (New Mexico State University) and Claudia Rivers (University of Texas – El Paso) – Trail Archive Research Materials at NMU and UTEP
- Patricia Kiddney – Women Bring the Gospel to SW New Mexico and El Paso
7 PM – 9 PM – Dinner Banquet with Keynote Speaker
Click map for larger version.
DAY 5 - Saturday March 16, 2024
8 AM to 4 PM – Tour two – “Three Missions in El Paso, Concordia Cemetery, Chamizal National Memorial, and the Magoffin House”
Post Symposium Event - Monday March 18th, 2024
A Tour of Fort Davis led by Larry Francell. Meet at the Fort at 10am.
Email: Larry.Francell@SBCGlobal.net https://www.nps.gov/foda/
Download an Informational Flyer for the 2024 El Paso Trail Gathering
About This Trail Gathering in El Paso, Texas
We care about the original trails that connected the United States at a time when communication and distance travel were not so easy. Learn about the early inhabitants of the area, and how those trails turned into wagon roads, before railroads came through and before highways and Interstates.
With speakers, books, maps and adventures, you’ll want to be a part of this educational experience! We invite the general public to join us as we bring together the experts and the novice to learn more about local history.
Event Pricing
- Individual $95
- Educator $70
- Student $50
Includes receptions on Thursday and Friday night plus all speakers on Saturday. Tours can be taken for optional extra fees. Each person must register separately. There is no family option.
