Tooele resident, author and historian explores the Mormon Trail in his most recent book

The power of place; the spirit of locale." The late Dr. Stanley B. Kimball, a noted historian on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Mormon Trail, coined this phrase that means if one knows the history of a place or event and is physically there, they can feel its significance.

Gregory M. Franzwa, a Tooele resident of two years, understands "the power of place" and has used it as inspiration for his most recent book "The Mormon Trail Revisited."

The book directs drivers to follow the exact paths of the Mormon pioneers on modern-day -- and some gravel -- roads. Through the book's text, readers can learn about the history of each place along the way and feel "the power of place."

"The Mormon Trail Revisited" was printed in November and is self-published.

Franzwa, 81, and his wife of seven years, Kathy, 56, traveled from Nauvoo, Ill., to Utah three times on modern roads to get the most exact way of following the original path.

"You should have seen our gas bill," Kathy said.

He has written a variety of other trail books including "The Oregon Trail Revisited" in 1972, which is now in its fifth edition. His books tell the history of these places and show travelers how to follow the paths of historical figures.

In addition to being an author, Franzwa is also an editor, historian and founder of two historical associations. He also plays the trumpet.

Cases and cases of books fill Franzwa's home, many of which are still in boxes. From the living room to the office to the garage it's almost impossible not to have a book in view at all times.

"This is how you wreck a house in a hurry," Franzwa said about the massive amount of books in his home.

Franzwa is a man who thrives on the United States' Western history and believes Tooele is overflowing with it.

"If you stand on Main Street in Tooele and look at the dilapidated buildings, most don't know that this was once part of the Lincoln Highway in 1919," Franzwa said.

Another historical landmark in the county lies on the south side of SR-36 between Stansbury Park and Lake Point. Adobe Rock was the place the Donner-Reed party stopped at in 1846 and ventured over to the springs on the northwest side of the highway.

"It's one of the most tremendous landmarks, other than the Great Salt Lake," he said.

Franzwa's knowledge of historical landmarks isn't limited to LDS or Utah history. He hails from Carroll, Iowa, and served in World War II as a naval air navigator.

He has also been a professional jazz musician since age 14 and founded the Tiger Rage Forever Jazz Band and 1926 Jazz Band while producing four LP recordings as a tuba player and arranger.

He graduated from State University of Iowa -- now called the University of Iowa -- in 1950 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism.

His first book was "The Story of Old Ste. Genevieve" in 1967 about an old French town in Louisiana. But the book that gave him his name was "The Oregon Trail Revisited," which cut entirely new ground in combining place-to-place instruction with history.

"It's never going to go out of print," Franzwa said.

In fact it was because of "The Oregon Trail Revisited" that Franzwa and Kathy met. She had always enjoyed history and as an adult, found this book in the library and followed the trail by herself. She then joined the Oregon-California Trail Association -- which Franzwa founded in 1982 -- and they met at a convention.

"Now I don't have to borrow his books from the library anymore," Kathy said.

Franzwa completed "The Lincoln Highway" east to west series in the summer of 2006 ending with California.

His next project will be working from west to east on the Lincoln Highway beginning with Illinois. Each of these books takes two years to write, but despite his age, Franzwa hopes to finish the series so people can drive from New York to California on the Old Lincoln Highway.

He has written more than 20 books.

Missy Thompson: missy@tooeletranscript.com