The Sante Fe Trail

Early American trails across the Southwest, with artwork courtesy of Irvin Shope.

This map is one of several issued shortly after World War II by the American Pioneer Trails Association to honor early explorers and trailblazers in the growth of the United States. Artwork is provided by the talented Irvin ‘Shorty’ Shope, and gives an evocative glimpse of scenery and life throughout the Old West.

Though the primary emphasis is on the Sante Fe Trail (red), other important avenues for settlement and discovery are noted. Even the El Camino Real, dating back to the Spanish Empire, is shown with a modern-day configuration.

Accompanying annotations and the aforementioned vignettes by Shope provide colorful details and sense of vibrancy to the image. The map was published in 1946 by the Pioneer Trails Association and printed in Manchester, New Hampshire by The Clarke Press.