If you don’t know where it is you can’t preserve it! Resources for mapping and marking our nation’s emigrant trails so we can protect them are available here. Preservation activities occur at the chapter level, and are driven by people like you – people who are excited to get out on the trails and who are interested in acquiring the skills and knowledge needed to preserve our country’s emigrant trails.
Take a look at these resources and make sure to contact your local chapter's preservation officer to learn more about how you can get involved in preserving trails in your area!
Mapping Emigrant Trails (MET) Manual
OCTA released the Fifth Edition of Mapping Emigrant Trails (MET) on October 1, 2014. OCTA released the Fifth Edition of Mapping Emigrant Trails (MET) on October 1, 2014. Our continued upgrading of the guidelines and procedures on locating, verifying, classifying and plotting emigrant trails reflects our dedication to preserving trails. The MET Manual has become a national standard. Following its guidelines allows OCTA to partner with the National Park Service to protect our nation’s trails.
A wire-bound copy with protective covers may be purchased from the OCTA bookstore for $10 by members and $20 for non-members. The MET Manual in its entirety can be downloaded here for free, although you will have to download it in sections:
- MET Manual Edition 5 Cover
- Preface and Introduction
- Part A Investigative Procedures & Trail Classifications
- Part B GPS and Mapping Software
- Part C Planning and Executing a Mapping Project
- Part D Setting Classifications
- Part E Photo Documentation of Trails
- Appendix 1 Documentary Sources for Overland Trails
- Appendix 2 Examples of the Composite Trail Description Method
- Appendix 3 Public Land Survey System
- Appendix 4 Trail Terminology
- Appendix 5 Plotting on USGS Topographic Maps
- Appendix 6 NHT Condition Category Definitions
- Appendix 7 Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) Grid
- Appendix 8 Internet Map Sources
- Appendix 9 OCTA Policies
- Appendix 10 Artifact Research/Identification Resources
- Appendix 11 Artifact Recording Forms
- Appendix 12 Using and Plotting Magnetic Compass Directions
- Appendix 13 Terrain Navigator Pro Basics
Training Briefs
- Introduction
- Trail Monitoring
- Mapping Emigrant Trails
- Trail Classifications
- GPS & Mapping Software
- Trail Marking
- Trail Marking Policy
- Preservation Basics
Terrain Navigator Pro
Trimble, the maker of Terrain Navigator mapping products, is making Terrain Navigator Pro (TNP) available to OCTA members for $299 per state. Annual subscriptions to update maps and photos are $124 for each state. Each state package contains all of the USGS topographic maps in that state for 1:250,000, 1:100,000, and 1:24,000 scales. Visit the Terrain Navigator website for further details. Contact OCTA for special pricing.
2021 Mapping & Marking Workshop
OCTA’s Mapping & Marking Workshop covered topics from composite diary analysis to the pros and cons of the various mapping software products that our members use. The presentation slides and documents from the workshop are available here. Video of the presentations were uploaded to a playlist on OCTA’s YouTube channel.
- Agenda
- Resource Information Management Slides by Brian Deaton (NPS)
- Preservation Slides by John Winner
- Introduction and Workshop Overview Slides by John Winner
- Composite Diary Analysis Slides by Dave Fullerton
- Drone and Trails Slides by Kevin Lee
- Georeferencing Slides by Jon Nowlin
- Google Earth Overlay Slides by Kevin Lee
- GPS Operations and Interface with Software by Bruce Watson
- How Drones Can Help Preserve Trails by Isobel Lingenfelter
- Links and Online Resources Slides by Dee Owens
- Mapping and Software Compatibility Slides by Dee Owens
- Using Apps or Programs to Convert Files Slides by Kevin Lee
- What are Shapefiles Slides by Dee Owens
- ArcGIS Online Slides by Brian Deaton
- Federal Trail GIS Schema Slides by Brian Deaton
- Historic Aerial Photos Slides by Brian Deaton
- LiDAR Slides by Brian Deaton
- Survey 123 Slides by Brian Deaton
- ArcGIS Online and Pro Slides by Dee Owens
- GeoReferencing Slides by Dee Owens
- Historic Map Slides by Dee Owens
- Other Mapping Software Slides by Dee Owens
- Sonora Story Slides by Dee Owens
- 3-D Mapping Software and Apps Slides by Dee Owens
- Pros and Cons of Different Mapping Softwares – Group Discussion Notes
- Getting More Members Involved in Mapping and Marking Proposal