Tumwater commissioners hear plan to mark College Trail segment of the Oregon Trail with local signage

Tumwater commissioners on March 20 heard a detailed presentation proposing local signage and wayfinding to mark the College Trail segment of the Oregon Trail through the city, and were told adding the route to the National Historic Trail System would require an act of Congress.

The presentation laid out documentary evidence and modern mapping that traces the College Trail’s approach into Tumwater — including links to the George Bush donation land claim and the Davis Meeker oak tree — and proposed placing interpretive signs at multiple locations such as the city’s southern entrance near historic U.S. 99, both approaches to the Davis Meeker oak, the backside of the Peter G. Schmidt School, near the Bush graves, stretches along Second Avenue by the Michael T. Simmons School, and at Tumwater Falls Park.

The presenter said local signage is actionable without federal approval. “Now is the time for action,” the presenter told the commission, urging the city to produce and place markers that adapt existing artwork into imagery that acknowledges George Bush and the town’s founding story.

Why it…