Transportation

From Trails to Interstates

Essential Concepts

The first activity addresses why the earliest trails bypassed Colorado and how the locations of the state's first transport systems (trails and rails) were affected by physical features. The second activity examines the growth of paved highways in Colorado, showing how the highway system replaced rails as the primary method of intrastate movement. Students learn how the present system of roads often (but not always) correspond to the locations of earlier trails and railroads.

Download the "From Trails to Interstates" Conceptual Overview for more information (includes key).