
Where in Missouri did the Santa Fe Trail begin?
Franklin, Missouri was the starting point for the first Santa Fe caravan of pack mules led by Captain William Becknell in 1821. After the War of 1812, the Boone’s Lick Trail was blazed and emigration into central Missouri was quick. The first settlement to be established in Howard County was Franklin in 1816.
What city does the Santa Fe Trail End?
The lie involves the Southern California city of El Monte, and you can find it in the title and subject of a small book published by the El Monte Lodge in 1923 called A History of El Monte: The End of the Santa Fe Trail. That famous 19th-century trail, which turns 200 next year, begins in Franklin, Missouri, and ends in Santa Fe, New Mexico, nearly 850 miles east of El Monte.
Where did the Sedalia Trail End?
The Sedalia trail was roughly 700 miles long. It started in the spring of 1866 and went from southern Texas to Sedalia, Missouri and part of it went to Baxter Springs. Like many other trails, it ended near a railroad. How much did Cowboys make on a cattle drive?
What were the destinations of the Santa Fe Trail?
- Fort Union National Monument
- Pecos National Historical Park
- Santa Fe
- De Vargas Street House, Oldest House in the US
- Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area

Where did the Santa Fe trails begin and end?
The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico.
How long was the Santa Fe Trail?
869.9 miSanta Fe Trail / Length
What was the ending point of the Santa Fe Trail?
The Plaza in Santa Fe New Mexico marks the official western end of the Santa Fe Trail. The Plaza, dating back to the founding of the city of Santa Fe by the Spaniards in 1610, has been designated as a Registered National Historic Landmark, a plaque mounted near the center of the Plaza is witness to this.
When did the Santa Fe Trail end?
Additional track mileage further shortened the effective distance of the Santa Fe. Then, in February 1880, the railroad reached Santa Fe, and the trail faded into history.
Where did the California Trail begin and end?
The California Trail went from western Missouri across the Great Plains into the Rocky Mountains to the gold fields of northern California. It was most heavily used in the 1840s, 1850s, and 1860s. The length of the wagon trail from the Missouri River to Sacramento, California was about 1,950 miles (3,138 km).
When did the California Trail start?
Open from 1841 to 1869, the California Trail brought emigrants from many locations in the East. Starting points varied, but most began somewhere along the Missouri River and ran parallel with the Oregon Trail, heading west.
How old is the Santa Fe Trail?
The Santa Fe Trail was America's first commercial highway. Traders established the trail—which connected Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico and covered some 900 miles of the Great Plains—in 1821.
When was the Santa Fe expedition?
June 19, 1841On June 19, 1841, the party, officially designated the Santa Fe Pioneers, set out from Kenney's Fort on Brushy Creek, twenty miles north of Austin, and traveled north, crossing the Brazos River just below Bee Mountain on July 8 and striking the Western Cross Timbers in the area of present Parker County on July 21.
What were the dangers of the Santa Fe Trail?
While some travelers made the trip without incident, the unforgiving climate, illness, mechanical failures, starvation, dehydration, and the potential for violent encounters created an array of challenges to prepare for and overcome. While some struck it rich, others lost their fortunes, their health, or their lives.
What cities did the Santa Fe Trail go through?
From there, it trekked through southwest Kansas and the western panhandle of Oklahoma before venturing into Round Mound and Point of Rocks, New Mexico and San Miguel. After navigating the Glorieta Mountain Pass, it ended in Santa Fe.
How were the Oregon and Santa Fe Trails different?
The trails are different because the people that traveled on the Santa Fe Trail were mostly individual male traders that continued to travel back and forth between Santa Fe and America to buy and sell American factory goods, while the people that traveled on the Oregon Trail were mostly families that wanted to settle ...
What states did the Santa Fe Trail go through?
The Trail crosses five States- Missouri, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. In 1821, Mexico gained its independence from Spain's 200 years of control and unlocked a great gateway to the West- the Santa Fe Trail.
When was the Santa Fe Trail opened?
The Santa Fe Trail was a transportation route opened by the Spaniards at the end of the 18th century. It was later used extensively by people from the United States in the 19th century after the Louisiana Purchase.
Where was the Santa Fe Trail?
The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, the trail served as a vital commercial highway until 1880, when the railroad arrived in Santa Fe.
What was the purpose of the mule trail?
A mule trail (trapper's trails) led to points north to supply the lucrative overland fur trade in ports on the Pacific Coast.
What was the significance of the Santa Fe Trail?
opening the region to economic development and settlement. It played a vital role in the westward expansion of the US into these new lands. The road route is commemorated today by the National Park Service as the Santa Fe National Historic Trail. A highway route that roughly follows the trail's path, through the entire length of Kansas, the southeast corner of Colorado and northern New Mexico , has been designated as the Santa Fe Trail National Scenic Byway .
Why did the wagon train travel?
Settlers seeking the opportunity to hold free land used wagon trains to follow various emigrant trails that branched off to points west. The political philosophy of Manifest Destiny, the idea that the US should extend from one coast to another, dominated national political discussions. The trail connected interior port cities along the Mississippi and Missouri and their wagon train outfitters to western destinations. The trail was used to carry products from the central plains to the trail head towns St. Joseph and Independence, Missouri .
How did the railroads affect the Western Trail?
With this financial base, the railway extended west, gradually adding new connections through rougher west country along the western Trail. With the development of rail transport, traffic on the Trail soon dropped to merely local trade. In a sense, after World War I the trail was reborn; by the 1920s it gradually became paved automobile roads.
What caused the collapse of bison in the 1840s?
By the 1840s, trail traffic through the Arkansas Valley was so numerous that bison herds were cut off from important seasonal grazing land. This habitat disruption, on top of overhunting, contributed to the collapse of the species. Comanche power declined in the region when they lost their most important game.

Overview
The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, the trail served as a vital commercial highway until 1880, when the railroad arrived in Santa Fe. Santa Fe was near the end of El Camino Real de Tierra Ade…
History
The Santa Fe Trail was a transportation route opened by the Indians as well as European trappers and traders in the second half of the 18th century. It was later used extensively by people from the United States in the 19th century after the Louisiana Purchase. Traders and settlers crossed the southwest of North America by the route connecting Independence, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New …
Mother of the railroad
In 1863, with all the political bickering over railroad legislation, entrepreneurs opened their pockets and set their sights on the American Southwest leading to the gradual construction east to west of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway; the name eponymously reflecting the intentions of the founders, the expected eastern terminus to be in Atchison, Kansas.
Route
The eastern end of the trail was in the central Missouri town of Franklin on the north bank of the Missouri River. The route across Missouri first used by Becknell followed portions of the existing Osage Trace and the Medicine Trails. West of Franklin, the trail crossed the Missouri near Arrow Rock, after which it followed roughly the route of present-day U.S. Route 24. It passed north of Mar…
Challenges
Travelers faced many hardships along the Santa Fe Trail. The trail was a challenging 900 miles (1,400 km) of dangerous plains, hot deserts, and steep and rocky mountains. The natural weather was and is continental: very hot and dry summers, coupled with long and bitterly cold winters. Fresh water was scarce, and the high steppe-like plains are nearly treeless. Water flows in the P…
Historic preservation
Segments of this trail in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In Missouri, this includes the 85th and Manchester "Three Trails" Trail Segment, Arrow Rock Ferry Landing, Santa Fe Trail – Grand Pass Trail Segments, and Santa Fe Trail – Saline County Trail Segments. The longest clearly identifiable section of the trail, Santa Fe Trail Remains, near Dodge City, Kansas, is listed as a National Historic Landmark. In Colorado, Sa…
Notable features
Missouri
• Arrow Rock (Arrow Rock Landing, Santa Fe Spring, Huston Tavern)
• Harvey Spring/Weinrich Ruts
• Independence (Santa Fe trail Ruts, Lower Independence (Blue Mills) Landing, Upper Independence (Wayne City) Landing.
See also
• MO: Jackson County Historic Places
• KS: Johnson County Historic Places
• OK: Cimarron County Historic Places
• NM: Colfax County Historic Places