Finding the Lummis Trail

The first problem retracing Lummis’s tramp is a surprisingly large one: what was the route?  How exactly will I retrace it in my Ford Focus?  Unfortunately, navigating by book jacket is not going to cut it.

Lummis made the walk from Ohio to Los Angeles by walking along the railroad tracks.  This means that in theory, with enough research, a highly accurate map of Lummis’s precise route could be compiled. Lummis is careful to note the rail line he is walking, so a good knowledge of the railroads running in 1885 should yield this. Has this been done? Does this detailed map exist?

A few weeks ago I fired off a Hail Mary email to the Autry National Center of the American West (http://www.autrynationalcenter.org/), which encompasses the Southwest Museum of the American Indian originally founded by Charles Lummis, requesting a "detailed map" of the tramp.

Last week I got a response from Kim Walters, Charles F. Lummis guru and Director of the Braun Research Library located at the center.  She said for the 100th anniversary of the Tramp (in 1985), the librarian and staff compiled a map of the route.  I didn't know what exactly this map would look like, but I figured it would be much better than what I was currently working with (next to nothing).  Kim was kind enough to Next Day the the booklet with the following map:

Overlaying the route on a map from the 1873 Gray's Atlas of the United States is a cool choice for the 100th anniversary booklet, but not as useful for my purposes.  Since I'm driving a car in 2010, ideally, I need the  overlayed on a map that includes modern highways and byways.   In the 21st century, I could also use GPS waypoints or a Google Map.

I've made a decision: retracing the exact route is not the priority for this trip.   Lummis writes about so many places along the way, that by simply taking a reasonable route between each destination, I should approximate the route very closely.

I have to express my admiration for Google Maps here.  By starting out with their suggested direct route from Chicago, IL to Phoenix, AZ, I was able to contort and twist that direct route into a good approximation of the Tramp Across the Continent.  So here is the 21st century Tramp map:


View Larger Map

I noticed something interesting while creating this map.  As I dragged the route over to significant towns on the Tramp, I noticed that Google Maps frequently adjusted itself quickly into something resembling the historic Tramp route.   While I still don't have sufficient evidence, this does make me wonder if modern highways do shadow historic rail lines to some degree.  Does anyone know how true this is?

-SHU