Title: The Role of Museums in the Preservation and Management of International Heritage Routes
Abstract: Heritage routes have been existent since pilgrimages began to religious sites. Routes for trade and discovery are also geographical imprints of heritage. Modern techniques for the preservation and management of heritage routes have been employed since the twentieth century, especially with national measures to protect and enhance them, such as the National Trails System Act, which was passed in 1968 in the United States. Heritage routes are designated by local, regional, and national communities to preserve, manage, and profit from the historical, cultural, and natural resources that are inventoried and documented to create the significance of the trail. Heritage routes and tourism have been a collaborative measure. A national promotion of heritage routes and tourism, the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial Trail Project (2003-2006) commemorates the 200th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark expedition. The Texas Plains Trail, organized by the Texas Historical Commission, involves 52 counties in West Texas to coordinate tourism along the trail as well as to promote sustainable development. Thus the preservation and management of heritage routes bring together the wealth of cultural and natural resources into one program. It produces the collaboration of local communities as well as the connection of cultures encompassing geographical boundaries. Museums are a part of the heritage resources that are inventoried in heritage routes. The role of museums in the preservation and management of heritage routes is the subject of this paper.