The Mormon Trail, also known as the Mormon Pioneer Trail, departed from Nauvoo, Illinois, and ended in the southern portion of California, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior. The trail dates to early 1846 when Brigham Young led 10,000 Latter Day Saints, a religious group, out of Illinois. The travelers took the trail 1,297 miles by wagon to Salt Lake Valley, Utah, now known as Salt Lake City. The trail runs parallel with the Oregon Trail, where it splits at Wyoming, heads south to Utah, and continues south through the lower portion of Nevada, ending in San Diego, California.
The California Trail makes its way along the same route as the Mormon Pioneer and Oregon trails starting from Missouri along the river until it reaches several cutoffs. The trail from Utah splits at Salt Lake City, traveling west through Nevada, where it reaches a final destination at northern California. From the Oregon Trail, it splits at Idaho heading west through northern Nevada and also ending in northern California.
The Santa Fe Trail started at Missouri dating to 1821, which was the same year when Mexico established independence from Spain, the Trails West website states. Merchants used this trail and were escorted by U.S. military for protection against Indians. The trail also departs from Arkansas through Oklahoma, Texas and ends in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Missouri trail goes through Kansas, northern Oklahoma to Santa Fe. These routes carried pioneers until the military restricted the use for its transportation of supplies.
From Fort Smith, Arkansas, to El Paso, Texas, this trail cuts through the middle of Texas and created a shorter route for pioneers traveling to seek gold in the western parts of the country. The trail was founded in 1849 by Captain Randolph Marcy, who commanded the escorting of travelers on the Santa Fe Trail, according to the Oregon-California Trails Association. The route heads southwest crossing the Pecos River and proceeds to El Paso. A connecting route from El Paso leads to the Southern Trail, which was used to travel west along the Arizona border to southern California.
