Join OCTA

Join the Oregon-California Trails Association

 

Join the Oregon-California Trails Association to help preserve our western trails heritage. Memberships in the national organization and the regional chapters have been designed to address varying member wishes and interests, ranging from individual and family memberships to institutional and corporate memberships, with several options in between!

Why Join OCTA?

An American heritage is at risk. The historic trails trod by half a million pioneers, gold rushers, adventurers, families – people in pursuit of a better life in the West – are under constant threat from development. Many miles of wagon ruts and swales still exist in silent testimony to those hardy souls who built the nation as we know it today. Join the Oregon-California Trails Association to help preserve our heritage. Memberships have been tailored to address varying member wishes and interests. Those with higher initial costs provide increased benefits.

OCTA Membership Benefits

  • Overland Journal is OCTA’s quarterly magazine which contains articles and book reviews concerning historic trails.
  • News From The Plains is OCTA’s quarterly newsletter which contains information about the activities of OCTA National, OCTA Regional Chapters, and OCTA members.
  • When you join OCTA, you will receive free access to Paper Trail, the website based on a searchable index of 19th Century westward American migration documents.
  • Potential members are required to join OCTA National first and then can proceed to join the various OCTA Regional Chapters of their choice.
  • Do you prefer to join OCTA by mail? Open and print our brochure.
    Membership Brochure  (2023 Updated PDF)
    Fax: 816-836-0989
  • Make a Donation to OCTA to help us Save The Trails!

General Memberships in OCTA

Your membership in national OCTA and an OCTA Chapter will connect you with an international network of western history fans and enthusiasts; contribute to an important part of American history; provide opportunities to learn about trail location, mapping and marking; promote research and contribute to public education; provide new avenues for genealogical research; provide invitations to annual conventions and regional events; and contribute financially to the preservation of historic trails.

Membership – College Student (Join/Renew)

$20.00 / year
rear view of a covered wagon with mountains and setting sun in the distance
This membership is designed especially for undergraduate and graduate college and university students. Members receive the same benefits as the Emigrant level. You will receive the Overland Journal, OCTA's quarterly...
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Membership – Educator (Join/Renew)

$45.00 / year
rear view of a covered wagon with mountains and setting sun in the distance
The Educator level of OCTA membership is for teachers in elementary, junior high and high schools. Members receive the same benefits as at the Emigrant level and have access to...
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Institutional/Corporate Memberships in OCTA

Institutional members, such as libraries and museums, get discounts, a plaque, and an ad in OCTA’s Overland Journal and News From The Plains newsletter. Corporate members get all this and in addition, links on OCTA’s website.

Membership – Institutional (Join/Renew)

$300.00 / year
rear view of a covered wagon with mountains and setting sun in the distance
Designed especially for OCTA's institutional friends who also support and promote overland emigrant trails (libraries, museums, trail centers, etc.), the Institutional member receives basic benefits plus a plaque signifying their...

Membership – Corporate (Join/Renew)

$1,250.00 / year
rear view of a covered wagon with mountains and setting sun in the distance
OCTA relies heavily on the kindness of corporate friends and has established a unique opportunity for the business community to show their solidarity with trail preservation efforts. Corporate members receive...

Regional Chapter Memberships

Once you have selected an OCTA national membership, please consider joining one of OCTA’s regional chapters to enjoy the benefits of a local community of trail enthusiasts with more specific goals and activities. Several chapters offer options for individual, family, student, sustaining and even corporate memberships.