Why Join OCTA?

Join the Oregon-California Trails Association

Save the Trail

Memberships have been tailored to address varying member wishes. Those with higher initial costs provide increased benefits.

Why Join OCTA?

An American heritage is at risk. The historic trails trod by half a million pioneers, gold rushers, adventurers, families – people in pursuit of a better life in the West – are under constant threat from development. Many miles of wagon ruts and swales still exist in silent testimonly to those hardy souls who built the nation as we know it today. Join the Oregon-Californial Trails Association to help preserve our heritage. Memberships have been tailored to address varying member wishes. Those with higher initial costs provide increased benefits.

OCTA Membership Benefits

  • Overland Journal is OCTA’s quarterly magazine which contains articles and book reviews concerning historic trails.
  • News from the Plains is OCTA’s quarterly newsletter, which contains information about the activities of OCTA national, OCTA chapters, and OCTA members.
  • Time Travelers is a program in which OCTA participates that allows OCTA members to receive a variety of special benefits, such as free admission or gift shop discounts when they visit Time Travelers affiliates. There are 185 museums and historic sites in 45 states that participate in the program.
  • When you join OCTA, you will receive free access to Paper Trail, the website based on a searchable index of 19th Century westward American migration documents. (www.paper-trail.org)
  • Potential members are required to join National OCTA first and then can proceed to join the various Regional OCTA Chapters of their choice.
  • Do you prefer to join OCTA by mail? Print out our brochure here.
    Membership Brochure  
    Fax: 816-836-0989
  • Make a Donation to OCTA to help us Save The Trails!

General Memberships

While the basic Emigrant membership provides the member with a newsletter, scholarly journal and 5% discount, the Pioneer also gets two votes in the annual election; the Trail Patron additionally gets an increased 10% discount, the Merrill J. Mattes Society additionally gets a 15% discount, two free publications and a Mattes pin, and the Ezra Meeker Life Member additionally gets a plaque and Meeker Life Member pin.

Membership – Ezra Meeker Life Member

$1,000.00
(Individual or Family Level) Formerly the Life Member category, this membership level is named for Oregon Territory pioneer Ezra Meeker, who followed the Oregon Trail in 1852 with his young...
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Membership – Pioneer (Join/Renew)

$65.00 / year
(Family Level) This is the basic membership for families. Pioneer members receive the same benefits as the Emigrant level. Pioneer level members are entitled to two votes in OCTA's annual...
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Membership – Emigrant (Join/Renew)

$50.00 / year
This is the basic membership for individuals. Receive the Overland Journal, OCTA's quarterly scholarly journal and News From the Plains, OCTA's quarterly newsletter. You will receive a 5% discount on...
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Institutional Memberships

The Institutional member gets discounts, plaque and an ad in the journal and newsletter, and the Corporate Member gets, in addition, links on OCTA’s website.

Membership – Corporate (Join/Renew)

$1,250.00 / year
OCTA relies heavily on the kindness of corporate friends and has established a unique opportunity for the business community to show their solidarity with trail preservation efforts. Corporate members receive...

Membership – Institutional (Join/Renew)

$300.00 / year
(Libraries, Museums, etc) Designed especially for our friends who also support and promote overland emigrant trails, the Institutional level receives the same basic benefits plus a plaque signifying their membership...

Chapter Membership

Once you have selected a National Membership level, please consider joining one of our local chapters to enjoy the benefits of a community of trail enthusiasts with more specific goals and activities.

Membership – Nebraska Chapter (Join/Renew)

$10.00 / year

Emigrant trails from “jumping off” places in Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas were scattered across eastern Nebraska, but converged at Fort Kearny. After leaving the Fort, the trails ran adjacent to the …