Old Spanish Trail Centennial Celebration

In the fall of 1945, Olaf Wieghorst drove with his wife and 14 year old son from St. Augustine, Florida to El Cajon following a route known earlier as the Old Spanish Trail Highway. The highway was first conceived in 1915 and built out by the late 1920’s. By 1945, the route was known as US Highway 90 between St. Augustine and San Antonio, Texas, and US Highway 80 between Texas and San Diego.

It is therefore our pleasure to host the opening reception of the Old Spanish Trail Centennial Association (OST100) Convention on Thursday, November 2, 2023 at the Wieghorst Museum.

If you would like to attend the convention, become an exhibitor or event sponsor, or just learn more about the event, please see the Information and Registration Packet or contact the Centennial Association at:   OST100Kahl@aol.com

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The Old Spanish Trail (the OST) was an auto trail that once spanned the United States with almost 2,750 miles (4,430 km) of roadway from ocean to ocean. It crossed eight states and 67 counties along the southern border of the United States. Work on the auto highway began in 1915 at a meeting held at the Battle House Hotel in Mobile, Alabama; and, by the 1920s, the trail linked St. Augustine, Florida, to San Diego, California, with its center and headquarters in San Antonio, Texas.

California involvement was spearheaded by real estate developer Colonel Ed Fletcher and supported by San Diego County Supervisors Joseph Foster (Lakeside) and Charles Good (of Lemon Grove).

This event is part of a decade-long centennial celebration which began in 2019 and will end with a 2029 motorcade from St. Augustine, Florida to San Diego.