Ozark Trail (auto trail)
Encyclopedia
The Ozark Trail was a network of locally maintained roads and highways organized by the Ozark Trails Association
that predated the United States
federal highway system. The roads ran from St. Louis
, Missouri
, to El Paso
, Texas
, and Santa Fe
, New Mexico
, over a series of routes. These roads were maintained by both private citizens and local communities. In one case, however, the US government was directly involved; it built the Ozark Trail Bridge in 1925 over the South Canadian River
between Newcastle, Oklahoma
, and Oklahoma City
, as the first federal highway project built in Oklahoma
.
These roads comprised the major highway system in the region until U.S. Highway 66 was built in the 1920s. In Oklahoma
, portions of the section-line
roads between Anadarko
and Hobart
are still referred to as "The Old Ozark Trail."
Obelisk
markers are located at several places on the trail, including Farwell
, Dimmitt
, Wellington
, and Tulia
, Texas.
Contemporary online references of the term "Ozark Trail" for this road include:
Ozark Trails Association
The Ozark Trails Association were a group of private citizens that tried to encourage local municipalities to build and maintain road systems in the Ozarks in the early 20th century. It was established in 1913. They erected large obelisks marking the various roads and indicated distances to...
that predated the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
federal highway system. The roads ran from St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
, to El Paso
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, and Santa Fe
Santa Fe, New Mexico
Santa Fe is the capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico. It is the fourth-largest city in the state and is the seat of . Santa Fe had a population of 67,947 in the 2010 census...
, New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, over a series of routes. These roads were maintained by both private citizens and local communities. In one case, however, the US government was directly involved; it built the Ozark Trail Bridge in 1925 over the South Canadian River
Canadian River
The Canadian River is the longest tributary of the Arkansas River. It is about long, starting in Colorado and traveling through New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, and most of Oklahoma....
between Newcastle, Oklahoma
Newcastle, Oklahoma
Newcastle is the largest city in McClain County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area. The population was 7,685 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Newcastle is located at ....
, and Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
, as the first federal highway project built in Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
.
These roads comprised the major highway system in the region until U.S. Highway 66 was built in the 1920s. In Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
, portions of the section-line
Section (United States land surveying)
In U.S. land surveying under the Public Land Survey System , a section is an area nominally one square mile, containing , with 36 sections making up one survey township on a rectangular grid....
roads between Anadarko
Anadarko, Oklahoma
Anadarko is a city in Caddo County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 6,645 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Caddo County.-Early History:Anadarko got its name when its post office was established in 1873...
and Hobart
Hobart, Oklahoma
Hobart is a city in and the county seat of Kiowa County, Oklahoma, United States. Hobart was founded in 1901 on what had been part of an Indian reservation. The settlers drew lots for free land. It was named for Garret Hobart, the twenty-fourth Vice President of the United States. The population...
are still referred to as "The Old Ozark Trail."
Obelisk
Obelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
markers are located at several places on the trail, including Farwell
Farwell, Texas
Farwell is a city in and the county seat of Parmer County, Texas, United States. Farwell is located on the Texas-New Mexico border with the town of Texico, New Mexico on the opposite side...
, Dimmitt
Dimmitt, Texas
Dimmitt is a city in Castro County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,375 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Castro County. It is located on the old Ozark Trail, a road system from St. Louis, Missouri, to El Paso, Texas...
, Wellington
Wellington, Texas
Wellington is a city in Collingsworth County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,275 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Collingsworth County.-Geography:Wellington is located at ....
, and Tulia
Tulia, Texas
Tulia is a city in, and county seat of, Swisher County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,117 at the 2000 census; in the 2005 census estimate, it had fallen to 4,714. The city is at the junction of U.S. Route 87 and Texas State Highway 86, approximately two miles east Interstate 27...
, Texas.
Contemporary online references of the term "Ozark Trail" for this road include:
- A blog from a nearby farm.
- A point on the trail near the confluence of 35°N 99°W.
- A cemetery list that mentions the Ozark Trail as a landmark.