Santa Fe Trail

Santa Fe Trail Timeline

The Santa Fe trail timeline expands throughout most of the 19th century. This period saw the most crucial moments in the US expansion to the Southwest. Thousands of travelers, soldiers, and traders shaped traversed the Santa Fe trail during this period.

Santa Fe Trail History

The Santa Fe Trail's history expands across the 19^th century. It was crucial to the development of the United States, especially in the integration of the newly annexed states after the Mexican-American War.

Santa Fe Trail Background

The Santa Fe Trail is an 800-mile journey that took travelers approximately two months to travel. Both Mexican and American traders crossed it. Like the Oregon Trail, it started in Independence, Missouri. Travelers would typically leave Missouri in May and arrive in Santa Fe in July. Those traveling the other direction, towards Missouri, would typically begin traveling in September to avoid cold-weather storms.

Santa Fe Trail Beginning: William Becknell and the Development of the Trail

William Becknell is credited with blazing the Santa Fe Trail in 1821. In September 1821, Becknell, a trader, left Missouri with a wagon full of goods and a small group of other men. They headed south to trade near Santa Fe. Previously, this would have been a dangerous idea. The Spanish government occupied the area, which had been unwelcoming to trade. However, the area was now under the authority of the Mexican government, which welcomed traders. Becknell and the rest of his party arrived in Santa Fe in November.

Becknell found a portion of the route that would be wide enough for wagon trains to pass through, encouraging the movement of traders and emigrants. This original route became known as the mountain route, following the Arkansas River, along the Colorado Plains, Purgatoire River, and the dangerous Raton Mountain Pass.

Returning to Santa Fe later on, Becknell looked for a route that was both faster and safer. He traveled a new route, later known as the Cimarron Route. The Cimarron Route became a popular route along the Santa Fe Trail.

In 1825, Becknell worked with a surveyor from the U.S. government to map the trail for traders and the military. From 1821 to 1846, the Santa Fe trail acted like a highway for those wishing to trade in the Southwest.

Fig. 3: Santa Fe Trail Map.

Mexican-American War

In 1846, The Mexican-American War began. The American Army of the West traveled the Santa Fe Trail to invade Mexico. When the war was ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, the Santa Fe Trail found itself being traveled by more than soldiers or traders. It became traveled by people wishing to explore new Southwest territories.

The trail was traveled by soldiers moving military goods, stagecoach lines, future gold prospectors, explorers, and missionaries.

The End of the Santa Fe Trail: Railroad Expansion

In the 1830s, steam locomotives began traveling on the East Coast of the United States, and in the 1860s, the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad began. In the late 1860s and early 1870s, two different railways laid tracks from Kansas to Colorado. Small chunks of tracks were added until the railroad reached Santa Fe in 1880.

The need for the Santa Fe land route slowly diminished as the railroad was a better option for moving people and goods.

Santa Fe Trail Challenges

The Santa Fe Trail was for people and animals to travel for different purposes: commercial trade, selling manufactured textiles and other goods; military expansion, used by the government of Sam Houston and later by the U.S. Army; territorial security, to establish lines of communication and safety to settlements on the Southwest.

Fig. 4: Santa Fe Trail in Winter

While many who transferred to the route did so without a problem, there were still challenges. The Santa Fe Trail challenges included:

• a harsh, southern climate
• starvation
• dehydration
• wagon train raids

Native Americans

Those who crossed the Santa Fe trail traveled in the native land of tribes like the Apache, Comanche, and Cheyenne. Native Americans were known to ambush wagon trains filled with supplies, especially those with horses and mules. The travelers along the Santa Fe Trail were intruding in their homes and hunting grounds. They fought back against the threat presented by the white travelers.

Fig. 5: Fort Larned.

Santa Fe Trail Summary

The Santa Fe Trail is an 800-mile overland trail that stretches from Independence, Missouri, to Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was "blazed" by William Becknell, a trader, and Missouri resident, in 1821. Throughout several trips, Becknell blazed the Mountain Route and the Cimarron Route.

Until the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848, the route was primarily used by traders looking to travel between New Mexico and Missouri. Afterward, the Santa Fe Trail found itself being used by soldiers, gold prospectors, explorers, and missionaries.

While the Santa Fe trail was a popular way for traders to cross the western part of the United States, it was not without its challenges. The southern climate was harsh, and those who traveled it struggled with access to food and water. Wagon trains were often raided for horses and mules.

The Santa Fe Trail became obsolete in the 1880s when the railroad reached Santa Fe. The railroad was not only a faster way to travel, but it was also safer.