Trail Map Research Articles

Who gets to draw the map? The contentious creation of the American road/map system, 1917–1926

Wittingly or not, Americans use a road/map system when they drive today. This system is a technological arrangement that coordinates routes, roadside signage, and maps for drivers. The American road/map system, for much of the twentieth century, was a government service, but the government’s control of the system occurred only after a struggle between for-profit entities, such as trail associations and map publishers, and engineers in the employ of the state. In vying for the right to designate routes, private and public interests were in effect battling over the market’s ability to provide for public welfare, the role of roads in American nationalism, and the nature of cartography itself. The public sector’s triumph in the contest over America’s highways was an unusual instance in American history in which a technological system’s ability to influence social politics was taken seriously, and it indicates the appeal of progressive reform at the time.

Influence of interactive thematic maps on tourist perceptions: a network analysis

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to test if and how interactive thematic maps can encourage the formation of tourists' perceptual maps of attractions in a destination.Design/methodology/approachData were derived from 365 online trip planners generated by users of the Amish Country web site from 1 August 2007 to 31 July 2008. Given the nature of the data set, network analysis techniques were used to analyze the data.FindingsNetwork analysis findings demonstrate that the things to do (TTD) included in the interactive Heritage Trail map were more frequently bundled together in the saved trip plans than TTDs included in other sections of the web site. Further analysis suggests that some additional non‐Heritage TTDs could be included in the Heritage Trail map due to their perceptual proximity.Practical implicationsThe findings provide evidence that interactive maps on web sites can play an important role in tourists' planning behavior, which has significant implications for online tourism marketing. The findings also provide insights as to how online behavioral data can be used to derive marketing intelligence.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the theoretical development of the role of interactive maps in travel planning and also illustrates the usefulness of network analysis for investigating tourism‐related issues.

Mountain Ski Maps of North America: Preliminary Survey and Analysis of Style

This article examines mountain ski resort trail maps in North America in 2008. It looks at the styles of maps used by resorts and at the main artists involved in producing the maps. The survey included maps from 428 resorts with additional analysis of maps from the 100 largest resorts. Point of view and creation method are the primary factors in determining the style of each ski trail map. Artists have employed three main types of views for ski mountains: panoramas, profiles, and planimetric maps. Panoramic views are by far the most common type of map (86% of all maps and all of the maps at the top 100 areas). Profile views are used in 8% of the maps and planimetric views in only 6%. Production methods for ski trail maps fall into three main categories: painting, illustrating, and computer rendering. Maps created with painting techniques are the most widespread, in use at 72% of all resorts and at 89% of the top 100 areas. Those created in a hard-edged vector-based illustration style are in use at 20% of resorts and those created through computer modeling and rendering at 3% of resorts.Many artists have created ski trail maps for resorts in North America but one artist, James Niehues, has produced by far the most maps in current use. His maps are in use at over a quarter of all ski areas and at half of the top resorts. Niehues follows in the footsteps of two other Coloradans, Hal Shelton and then Bill Brown, and this Colorado School has been key in the development of a classic painted panoramic style of North American ski maps. Additional research is recommended to provide further details of the history of the maps and their creators as well as to analyze the artists’ terrain manipulations and to look at the growing use of electronic trail maps.

Gravity is Your Friend but Every Turn is a Leap of Faith: Design and Testing a Schematic Map for Ski Resort Trails

title/>Trail maps for winter sports often take the form of highly illustrative landscape paintings, or panoramas, overprinted with trails and lifts to allow winter sports enthusiasts a mechanism for on-mountain navigation. The character of mountain environments lends itself particularly well to the panoramic representation which creates aesthetically pleasing representations that have become the de facto standard for trail mapping in ski resorts. Using them for navigating on mountain is not always easy since conditions, map perspective, orientation and the illustrative form often make reading the map awkward. Here, an alternative to the traditional trail map is designed by reducing a mountain and its trails to topological primitives. Harry Beck's famous London Underground provided inspiration to depict ski trails as a schematic network for the primary purpose of navigation. The schematic map illustrates the 176 trails in Breckenridge, CO, USA, derived from GPS tracklogs and incorporates a range of other datasets and a panoramic inset to provide context. The map has been tested at Breckenridge ski resort and results of this usability study are reported showing that there is value in this alternative way of depicting ski resorts though the panoramic style is well established, trusted and unlikely to face serious competition from alternative approaches.

Sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) growth is influenced by close conspecifics and skid trail proximity following selection harvest

In this study, we quantified the effects of local neighbourhood competition, light availability, and proximity to skid trails on the growth of sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) trees following selection harvest. We hypothesized that growth would increase with decreasing competition and increasing light availability, but that proximity to skid trails would negatively affect growth. A total of 300 sugar maples were sampled ∼10 years after selection harvesting in 18 stands in Témiscamingue (Québec, Canada). Detailed tree and skid trail maps were obtained in one 0.4ha plot per stand. Square-root transformed radial growth data were fitted to a linear mixed model that included tree diameter, crown position, a neighbourhood competition index, light availability (estimated using the SORTIE light model), and distance to the nearest skid trail as explanatory variables. We considered various distance-dependent or -independent indices based on neighbourhood radii ranging from 6 to 12m. The competition index that provided the best fit to the data was a distance-dependent index computed in a 6m search radius, but a distance-independent version of the competition index provided an almost equivalent fit to data. Models corresponding to all combinations of main effects were fit to data using maximum likelihood, and weighted averages of parameter estimates were obtained using multimodel inference. All predictors had an influence on growth, with the exception of light. Radial growth decreased with increasing tree diameter, level of competition and proximity to skid trails, and varied among crown positions with trees in suppressed and intermediate positions having lower growth rates than codominants and dominants. Our results indicate that in selection managed stands, the radial growth of sugar maple trees depends on competition from close (≤6m) conspecific neighbours, and is still affected by proximity to skid trails ∼10 years after harvesting. Such results underscore the importance of minimizing the extent of skid trail networks by careful pre-harvest planning of trail layout. We also conclude that the impact of heterogeneity among individual-tree neighbourhoods, such as those resulting from alternative spatial patterns of harvest, can usefully be integrated into models of post-harvest tree growth.

State Postsecondary Education Research: New Methods to Inform Policy and Practice (review)

Reviewed by: State Postsecondary Education Research: New Methods to Inform Policy and Practice Glenda Droogsma Musoba Kathleen M. Shaw and Donald E. Heller (Eds.). State Postsecondary Education Research: New Methods to Inform Policy and Practice. Sterling, VA: Stylus, 2007. 144 pp. Paper: $32.50. ISBN 1-57922-211-0. Through examples and recommendations, this collection of policy research papers illustrates the methodological and practical challenges of [End Page 548] multi-state policy research. In the introduction, Heller appropriately argues that, because of the decentralized form of education governance in the United States, states provide a useful unit of analysis for considering education policy. While the federal government influences higher education primarily through financial incentives, most education policy is set by individual states. Therefore cross-state comparisons are useful for examining policy implementation and outcomes. The book advocates for more multi-year and other comparative multi-state policy analyses. While not critical of others, the editors also urge more complex, high-quality research models. The chapters illustrate a variety of research designs and methodological challenges in state-level policy research and offer rigorous models that would be useful for further investigations. While the authors report research results, in most cases their focus is the methodological issues presented by this kind of state-policy research. They also make recommendations for future research. The most notable exception is Chapter 6, by Karen Paulson, which while interesting, is unique in its focus on what her research team learned about the relationship between the research and developing a policy agenda. This chapter‘s recommendations are about how to influence a state policy agenda, not about how to conduct policy research. Kathleen Shaw and Thomas Bailey (Chapter 2) focus on the role of theory in policy change and research. They tested a model of policy change in relation to access to higher education for adult students. Their conclusion that theory must be adaptable suggests that theory in the context of policy may be better understood as a trail marker than a trail map. Theory provides a framework, but not an exact plan. Jennifer Delaney and William Doyle (Chapter 3) advocate for more policy research that focuses on changes in state policy over time rather than only cross-sectional comparisons. They offer a methodologically interesting study of the role of higher education as a balancing factor in state budgets to illustrate a change-over-time model. They demonstrate how in lean fiscal years, such as this year in many states, states take disproportionately from higher education and in wealthy years, higher education is disproportionately advantaged over other state budget areas. Doyle’s other contribution (Chapter 5) is an insider’s perspective on the development of the state scores in Measuring Up (National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, 2000). While reading, at times I wished for more detail about the decision-making process and fewer technical details that gave some parts of the chapter the feel of a manual. Rarely do we get to talk with researchers about their rationales regarding choices in variable selection, coding, and research design. A recurring theme is the importance of future research that focuses on policy formation and adoption, not just on the outcomes of policy research. Michael McLandon and James Hearn (Chapter 1) and Sara Goldrick-Rab and Kathleen Shaw (Chapter 4) both argue, from different methodological approaches, for a greater focus on policy formation and adoption, rather than just policy outcomes. For example, the consequences for student enrollment from welfare reform are better understood than the political forces and policy formation that brought about these policies. In their study of welfare reform, Goldrick-Rab and Shaw observed a substantial gap between the written legislation and its implementation in some states, powerfully illustrating that studies relying exclusively on official policy will be incomplete. As the editors make clear, the book is not a comprehensive text on state policy research. It is better described as a collection of papers, something like a symposium or conference; they all hold together but each is the author’s unique contribution. Although individual chapters could be useful for teaching and senior scholars, I see the book as more helpful for early career policy scholars...

Schematic visualisation of ski resort trails

Please click here to download the map associated with this article. Trail maps for winter sports often take the form of highly illustrative landscape paintings, or panorama, overprinted with trails and lifts to allow skiers and snowboarders a mechanism for on-mountain navigation. The character of mountain environments lends itself particularly well to the traditional form of representation which creates aesthetically pleasing maps. These have become the de facto standard for trail mapping in ski resorts. Navigating on mountain is not always easy since conditions, map perspective, orientation and the illustrative form often make reading the map awkward. The map developed here presents an alternative to the traditional trail map by reducing a mountain and its trails to topological primitives. By taking on the style of Harry Beck's famous London Underground schematic map, the network of trails and lifts becomes visible and immediate, thus enhancing a users ability to navigate the mountain. The map illustrates the 176 trails in Breckenridge, Colorado derived from GPS tracklogs and incorporates a range of other contextual datasets. The paper outlines the rationale and design of the map which has been produced entirely using ESRI ArcGIS v9.2 alongside the Network Analyst, Schematics, Spatial Analyst, 3D Analyst, Maplex and ArcScene extensions. It also incorporates a 3D digital panorama of the ski resort rendered across a curved perspective DEM to provide a visual context for the main map.

SMARTWheel

Wheelchair prescription is complex with thousands of choices and options. Theoretically, a higher quality or innovative wheelchair that is appropriately matched to the user and their unique needs will increase participation. It is well accepted that there is an alarmingly high incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome, and rotator cuff injuries among manual wheelchair users. Since the initial conceptualization, the SMART(Wheel) was intended to better understand the physiological and physical effects of wheelchair propulsion on the body. Initially, little was known about wheelchair propulsion and the SMART(Wheel) transformed the nascent field of wheelchair propulsion biomechanics. Although still an important area of clinical research, the SMART(Wheel) has been critical to the study of the relationship between the type of wheelchair, set-up, activity, technique, anatomy, and physiology and repetitive strain injury. There has been growing evidence that the wheelchair-user interaction explains a substantial portion of the risk of developing a degenerative injury and on community participation. A noteworthy contribution of this work was the release of the clinical practice guideline, entitled, Preservation of Upper Limb Function Following Spinal Cord Injury in 2005. The SMART(Wheel) has been used by other scientists in areas that were not originally envisioned to be applications. It has been used to support the design of tools for developing a trail mapping rating and description system. It has also supported the design of accessible pedestrian walkways standards, accessible playground surfaces, and to evaluate carpets for wheelchair accessibility. It is likely that there are more new areas of exploration to emerge. This article describes the evolution of the SMART(Wheel) as new technologies became available and its applications in the field of wheelchair biomechanics and clinical service delivery.

Automated spot heights generalisation in trail maps

This article introduces a method and tool which allow for the automatic generalisation of topographic map spot heights. This is based on two premises: (1) the points remaining on the map should be the most relevant, and (2) their distribution over the map is the most suitable. The relevance of each point is determined by its position in (or near) areas of interest (trail, itinerary, etc.) or landforms that are significant due to their shape (peak, saddle or depression points) or size. This is determined by a morphometric analysis of the surrounding area of each spot height, using a TIN Digital Elevation Model (DEM). A division of the map into rectangular units using a binary space partition method in order to eliminate points, proportional to their original distribution on the input map, is proposed. A detailed description of the proposed method and associated algorithms is given and their performance is evaluated for a specific case. Although the proposed methodology has been developed for use with trail maps, the method's global philosophy, as well as the computer application, offer an expert user sufficient freedom of choice to be able to apply it to many other types of maps.

American Curiosity: Cultures of Natural History in the Colonial British Atlantic World (review)

Reviewed by: American Curiosity: Cultures of Natural History in the Colonial British Atlantic World Thomas Hallock (bio) American Curiosity: Cultures of Natural History in the Colonial British Atlantic World Susan Scott Parrish Chapel Hill: The Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, 2006321 pp. American Curiosity is the rare dual achievement, both pathbreaking and fully realized. Susan Scott Parrish leads us through the cabinets and collections of natural history produced during the British colonization of the Americas, drawing attention to the myriad forms of knowledge that were codified into institutional science. As the winner of the 2005 Jamestown Prize, offered by the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture, the book is as valuable for its subject matter as for its approach. The topic is "curiosity," or how American curiosity intervened upon European knowledge, which opens the compass of study to classical, early modern, and Enlightenment sources on one side of the Atlantic and to the full range of British America on the other—from Cotton Mather's Boston to Surinam. Anticipating recent calls in ecocriticism to move beyond writings specifically about nature, Parrish incorporates into the expected sources drama, poetry, political cartoons, portraiture, fiction, correspondence, and oral traditions. Current scholarship on early America often appears in new or unexpected ways, and Parrish's prose style renders abstraction concrete while taking delight in the sensual beauty of the natural world. Simply put, American Curiosity is a superb book. And it appears at an opportune time. Since the emergence of ecocriticism in the 1990s, scholars have dealt primarily with nineteenth- and twentieth-century authors, with studies of pre-romantic periods, before [End Page 201] Thoreau, built upon one-dimensional historical matrices. Pamela Regis started the conversation by applying Michel Foucault's Linnaeus to canonical early national texts. Mary Louise Pratt's Imperial Eyes offered a postcolonial orientation and compelling moral vocabulary. Landmark works in American studies by Richard Slotkin, Annette Kolodny, and Leo Marx established nature as a central theme; David Scofield Wilson and Wayne Franklin suggested paths for reading; the ecocritic Michael P. Branch has issued several trail maps; and monographs by Robert Lawson-Peebles, John Seelye, Christoph Irmscher, Timothy Sweet, Beth Tobin, Bruce Greenfield, me, and others have examined the natural against the rhetorics of science, agriculture, the exotic, and frontiers. What still needed unpacking, however, was the Linnaean tableau. Parrish offers that: a messy group portrait of the Enlightenment, in which colonial "testifiers" stake their claim against shifting and competing forms of knowledge. The story begins with Kwasímukámba, a native of Guinea brought to South America as a slave around 1700, who guided whites up the Surinam River (angering the native Saramakas) and who introduced to European science a root that Linnaeus named Quassia amara. Piecing together eighteenth-century print sources and contemporary oral traditions, Parrish uses Kwasi's story to suggest a counternarrative of Enlightenment science, one that "is decipherable only if we look beyond Europe to understand these traces within the published metropolitan record" (10). Two framing questions emerge from this example, the second being more difficult to document than the first: "how subjects of the British Atlantic made knowledge of the natural world," particularly in the cultural traffic with London; and "what overlapping and conflicting facts and representations they made" (15). One of the challenges, indeed, will be to hold these potentially competing concerns in suspension, for as texts crossed the Atlantic, their histories tug in opposite directions. The book's two lead chapters are cultural histories. The first, "British Metropolis and Its 'America,' " ranges from Pietro Martire's Decades of the Newe World to the Philadelphia Quaker William Bartram to raise several key themes: an epistemological shift from "wonder" to "curiosity" that accompanied the rise of New Science and the presence of America; spiritual investment in scientific study through physico-theology; and a feminized, secreted Nature that was explored through the transparent language of empiricism. The importance of objects in this fetishized Nature (which was embedded within religious discourse) gave an inroad to colonial subjects [End Page 202] who otherwise found themselves on the periphery. Colonials could participate as collectors and send "curiosities" to Europe; they also acquired a rhetoric...

Spatio-temporal permanence and plasticity of foraging trails in young and mature leaf-cutting ant colonies (Atta spp.)

The distribution and formation of foraging trails have largely been neglected as factors explaining harvesting patterns of leaf-cutting ants. We applied fractal analysis, circular, and conventional statistics to published and newly recorded trail maps of seven Atta colonies focusing on three aspects: permanence, spatio-temporal plasticity and colony life stage. In the long term, trail patterns of young and mature Atta colonies revealed that foraging activities were focused on distinct, static sectors that made up only parts of their potentially available foraging range. Within these foraging sectors, trails were typically ephemeral and highly variable in space and time. These ephemeral trails were concentrated around permanent trunk trails in mature and around nest entrances in young colonies. Besides these similarities, the comparison of trail systems between the two life stages indicated that young colonies exploited fewer leaf sources, used smaller and less-complex systems of foraging trails, preferred different life forms as host plants, and switched hosts more often compared with mature colonies. Based on these analyses, we propose a general hypothesis which describes the foraging pattern in Atta as a result of initial foraging experiences, spatio-temporal distribution of suitable host plants, energetic constraints, and other factors such as seasonality and interspecific predation.

Lewis and Clark Trail Maps: A Cartographic Reconstruction, Volumes 1, 2 and 3.

Lewis and Clark Trail Maps: A Cartographic Reconstruction, Volumes 1, 2 and 3.

Lewis and Clark Trail Maps: A Cartographic Reconstruction by Martin Plamondon II

Harvey Scott, the influentialeditorof theOrego nian forforty-five years, andMatthew P.Deady, judge of the Ninth District Court forthirty-four years,worked to thwarttheacts ofviolence and discriminatory laws thatwere often aimed at Chinese in other urban areas such as Tacoma, Denver, and San Francisco. Another major strength of the study is the author's detailed description and analysis of how Chinese community leaders used the courts and sympathetic lawyers and judges to protect their civil and commercial rightsdur ing theChinese exclusion period (1882-1943). Chinese residents in America during thisperiod certainly faced daunting challenges, especially from the federal Bureau of Immigration, but it isno longer possible, thanks to the evidence put forward by this volume and other recent studies, toview theseChinese residents simply as passive victimswho had no control over their own destiny. I have a couple ofminor quibbles with the book. On numerous occasions the author refers to the Chinese minister in Washington, D.C., as the "Chinese foreign [sic]minister" (see, for example, pp. 71,74, 82, 89-94,180-83, 256). Had a specialist in diplomatic history reviewed the manuscript, thisproblemwould have easilybeen caught. In a few cases, there is confusion about proper family names. For instance,Wu Ting Fang is referred to asMinister Fang, when, in fact,his family was Wu (pp. 181-83). Such items, it must be stated,do not detract fromtheoverall quality of this major newwork. Indeed, a brief review such as this cannot do justice to the richness and complexity of the narrative. There are detailed discussions of specific legal cases, the varied roles of Chinese community leaders, Chinese urban architecture, and theChinese vegetable gardens than ranalong Tanner Creek? to name but a few of the in triguing sub-topics covered in thisfinevolume. Thanks to thediligence and skillofMarie Rose Wong, theChinatowns of Portland may finally receive the serious attention of historians that theyhave long deserved. Lewis and Clark TrailMaps: A Cartographic Reconstruction Volumes I, II, and III ByMartin Plamondon II Washington State University Press, Pullman, 2000,2001,2004. Maps, illustrations (volume III only), index. 208 pages, 240 pages, 256 pages. $75.00 cloth. $75.00 spiral-bound. $55.00 paper. Reviewed by Stephanie Ambrose Tubbs Helena, Montana The Greek philosopher Heraclitus wrote that one cannot step twice into the same river.Mapmaker Martin Plamondon would surely agree. His three-volume work paints riversas living, wandering, unpredictable forcesofnature thatchanged theircourse even in the span of one or two seasons and certainly in the200 years since thenecessarilyhurried survey made by William Clark. As an experienced car tographer himself, Plamondon takes themaps made byWilliam Clark and shows where and why the riversand landscapes have changed. The maps arevaluable works asmuch fortheirdetail as forthe sentimentbehind them."I had to map it"Plamondon said inan interview."It's theonly way topreserve it"(KenOlsen, "All thatRemains; A Cartographer's Quest to Recreate theTrail," Washington State Magazine, Summer 2004). 674 OHQ vol. 106, no. 4 The unique talent of a mapmaker is to make familiar the unfamiliar,whether we are poring over theirwork in the comfort of our living rooms or squinting at their lines out in thewindy field.These volumes accomplish that taskon several levels. In termsof sheerdevotion to his project,Martin Plamondon deserves re spect. He spent twenty-seven years working on the 530hand-drawn maps thathe compiled by consulting nearly every form of geologic and topographic data on thearea covered by the trail and thencomparing themwith Clark's originals. Expertsmay dispute some ofhis cartographical findings and techniques, especiallywith regard to campsite locations; but, most significantly, Plamondon's maps show theoriginal riverchan nels that existed in the 1800s.He accompanies themaps with some of themost illuminating quotes from the journals and offershis own insightfulobservations throughout. To be sure, thesemaps offer more than his location of campsites. Plamondon shows us where Clark erred (hewrites that theCaptain was offby some 1,116 miles) andwhy (according to Plamondon, he relied heavily on inaccurate methods and instruments). He indicates that Lewis was "nearly useless" as a mapmaker (vol. 2, p. 94). He touches on familiarthemes andwisely avoids others. On the spelling of the name of Sacagawea hewrites: "Having thesharplylimited space of amere 500maps thecartographer shall not venture upon that shakyground" (vol...

Evaluation of Remote Sensing Techniques for Mapping Transborder Trails

Linear feature extraction for highways and road centerlines using remote sensing is an important component of geographic information systems (GIS). This article considers the use of various image processing methods for mapping smuggler trail networks crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. The authors report on a study in which very high spatial-resolution, digital, multispectral imagery was acquired in three visible and one nearinfrared wavelength bands along the U.S.-Mexico border using an Airborne Data Acquisition and Registration (ADAR) digital camera system mounted on a helicopter. Four image enhancement methods and one neural-network based automated feature extraction technique were tested. Measures of trail length were compared with a ground-based GPS trail survey to evaluate accuracy. The results showed that the optimal image enhancement method for trail mapping varied with topography and vegetation structure. The authors conclude that the most effective and efficient approach to trail mapping was a hybrid of an automated linear feature extraction routine, followed by manual interpretation, delineation, and editing.

Projects: The National Math Trail

During the past few school years, teachers and students across the country have been taking virtual walks along the National Math Trail, which can be found at www.nationalmathtrail.org. The K–12 Internet-based project invites students and teachers to submit community-based mathematics problems, along with photographs, illustrations, audio or video content, or Web pages. These submissions are posted to the National Math Trail map throughout the year. International submissions are also being solicited, and appropriate maps are created.

Evidence for a Prehistoric Trail Map in the Sierra Nevada. III. A Fourth “Glyph Map” and a Composite of the Trails

Two earlier reports indicated that three unusual carvings at a single petroglyph panel in the Sierra Nevada (CA-PLA-571) probably represented maps of hunting trails used by people of the Mart is Complex. In this article, a fourth wavy glyph appears to be still another trail map; the trails suggested in this glyph appear to be leading to favorable areas for hunting mountain sheep. When all four glyph-maps are superimposed on a topographic map of the area, each glyph turns out to have trail segments in common with other glyph-maps. Every petroglyph found in the 4 square miles where petroglyph sites are concentrated (51 sites involving 71 bedrock outcroppings) is within 100 m, and 96 percent within 50 m of the composite of the trails, strongly supporting the hypothesis that these unusual glyphs represent petroglyph maps of Martis hunting trails in the upper watershed of the North Fork of the American River.

Evidence for a Prehistoric Petroglyph Trail Map in the Sierra Nevada. II. Two Additional “Glyph Maps”

A previous study has provided evidence that a unique glyph at CA-PLA-571 in the Sierra Nevada was probably a trail map. This article suggests two more wavy glyphs on this petroglyph panel as being different trail maps. The evidence that a tracing of each of these carvings can be superimposed on a map showing all petroglyph sites in the area, and that several dozens of the outcroppings with glyphs fall within 50 m of the presumed trails, supports the hypothesis that these glyphs represent prehistoric hunting trails. The presence of several “trail maps” on this one petroglyph panel suggests that the site was used in ceremonies relating to hunting game.

Evidence for a Prehistoric Petroglyph Trail Map in the Sierra Nevada

A single petroglyph site in the North-Central Sierra Nevada in the upper watershed of the North Fork of the American River has a unique glyph with meandering and connecting wavy lines that are now proposed as trail maps. A tracing of this glyph was made from a photograph, and this was then placed with the same compass alignment on a topographic map showing all petrographic sites along the North Fork watershed. The ability to superimpose and accurately orient the glyph tracing over a map of these petroglyph sites, and the presence of petroglyphs on seventy-seven individual rock outcroppings mostly within 50 m of the presumed trails, support the trail map interpretation of this rock carving. It is suggested that a hunt shaman may have incised this glyph for ritualistic use.

Maps of the Oregon Trail

Book Review| April 01 1983 Maps of the Oregon Trail Maps of the Oregon Trail, Gregory M. Franzwa. Stanley B. Kimball Stanley B. Kimball Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Utah Historical Quarterly (1983) 51 (2): 200–201. https://doi.org/10.2307/45061177 Cite Icon Cite Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Permissions Search Site Citation Stanley B. Kimball; Maps of the Oregon Trail. Utah Historical Quarterly 1 January 1983; 51 (2): 200–201. doi: https://doi.org/10.2307/45061177 Download citation file: Zotero Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All Scholarly Publishing CollectiveUniversity of Illinois PressUtah Historical Quarterly Search Advanced Search The text of this article is only available as a PDF. © Copyright 1983 Utah State Historical Society1983 Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Caribou Trail Systems in Northeastern Alaska

Trails left by caribou on their spring, summer and fall ranges persist for many years and therefore provide useful record of patterns of caribou movement. Trails covering 15,000 km² of northeastern Alaska were mapped from light aircraft, and found to correspond with present patterns of movement of the Porcupine caribou herd. Caribou follow contours in hilly terrain; use gentle slopes and passes; travel in narrower lanes in steep areas; course natural obstacles before crossing them; and follow previous caribou trails. Areas of special importance to caribou because of funneling of their movements are identifiable from trail maps, which are therefore useful tools in the planning of proposed structures in caribou ranges.