Travis Boley is presenting on the planned "3-Trails Corridor," an ambitious project that seeks to develop recreational trail in the historic trail corridor of the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California National Historic Trails in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Already well underway, the Oregon-California Trails Association is partnering with the National Park Service, the Mid America Regional Council, and local city, county, and state governments, among others, to implement plans that were developed over the course of the last decade to connect remaining historic trail sites in an effort to stimulate economic development, heritage tourism, increased real estate values, and recreational and educational opportunities. No city in America has undertaken such an ambitious historic trails project, one that seeks to virtually "rebuild" the historic trails that helped make our country a coast-to-coast nation.

 

As part of his presentation, he will touch upon the recently completed "Truman and the Trails Symposium," which was held in Independence, Missouri on Friday, March 15 and Saturday, March 16. The symposium focused on Independence and the greater Kansas City area and its role as a starting point for the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California Trails, as well as Harry S Truman's family ties to the trails and his later role in developing heritage tourism and economic opportunities along them as president of the National Old Trails Road Association in the 1920s and 1930s. Tours along the Independence Route of the 3-Trails corridor and the Westport Route were offered, and six speakers presented on a variety of related topics. Trail advocates from around the country descended upon our area to learn how they can replicate Kansas City's "3-Trails Corridor" experiment while making a local economic impact of about $65,000 in one weekend.

 

Mr. Boley has served as Association Manager of the Oregon-California Trails Association , headquartered in Independence, since October 2003. Previous career stops include stints as Executive Director of the Pony Express National Museum in St. Joseph and curator at both the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts and the International Bowling Museum in St. Louis. He earned a BA in history from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a Masters of Historical Administration with an emphasis in archaeology from the University of Kansas. He is the father of four children, and the youngest two are still attending school at Blue Springs South. He resides in Independence.