Why did Santa Fe Trail stop being used? Mule and oxen-drawn wagons couldn’t compete with trains for hauling freight or speeding passengers westward. On February 9, 1880 a Santa Fe Railway Company train arrived with considerable fanfare at the Santa Fe railroad depot and effectively ended the Santa Fe Trail.
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
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.
What made the Santa Fe Trail obsolete Why?
By the 1850s the annual value of merchandise shipped over the trail exceeded $5 million. The trail served as a commercial artery until 1880, when the completion of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad made it obsolete.
Where did the Santa Fe Trail end and start?
Covering approximately 800 miles, the Santa Fe Trail extends from Independence, Missouri to present day Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Trail originally began in Franklin, Missouri, but the trail head was moved to Fort Osage and, by 1827, to Independence. The Santa Fe Trail and national park units on it route.
Where did the Santa Fe Trail end?
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 California Trail 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).
What is the Santa Fe Trail now?
It played a vital role in the westward expansion of the U.S. into these new lands. The road route is commemorated today by the National Park Service as the Santa Fe National Historic Trail....Santa Fe TrailGoverning bodyNational Park ServiceWebsiteSanta Fe National Historic Trail3 more rows
How long was the Santa Fe Trail?
869.9 miSanta Fe Trail / Length
Where did the Old Spanish Trail start and end?
The Old Spanish National Historic Trail runs between Santa Fe, New Mexico and Los Angeles, California. Over its years of use, it followed several different routes through New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and Southern California.
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 is the Santa Fe Trail now?
It played a vital role in the westward expansion of the U.S. into these new lands. The road route is commemorated today by the National Park Service as the Santa Fe National Historic Trail....Santa Fe TrailGoverning bodyNational Park ServiceWebsiteSanta Fe National Historic Trail3 more rows
What is the main purpose of the Santa Fe Trail?
The Santa Fe Trail was mainly a trade route but saw its share of emigrants, especially during the California Gold Rush and the Pike's Peak Gold Rush in Colorado. The trail also became an important route for stagecoach travel, stagecoach mail delivery and as a mail route for the famed Pony Express.
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 ...
Where was the Santa Fe Trail abandoned?
Four years later the Trail was abandoned east of Fort Larned. Not long after, the railroad bypassed the Cimarron Cutoff, and the wagon traffic that remained followed the Mountain Branch. By 1873, the railroad reached the vicinity of Bent’s Fort. More than 60 years of life on the Santa Fe Trail ended when the first steam engine reached Santa Fe in ...
When was the first steam engine built on the Santa Fe Trail?
More than 60 years of life on the Santa Fe Trail ended when the first steam engine reached Santa Fe in February of 1880. Last updated: March 18, 2016.
What was the most traded commodity in Santa Fe?
Early on, the most popular commodity traded in Santa Fe was cotton cloth; woolen and silk goods and other assorted items (e.g., playing cards) were also in demand (Gardner 1993). In exchange, traders received silver pesos, mules, and beaver pelts. In addition to the national park units, there are many significant historic sites along ...
What were the challenges of 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. Freshwater was scarce, and the high steppe-like plains are nearly treeless. Water flows in the Pecos, Arkansas, Cimarron, and Canadian rivers that drain the region vary by 90 or more percent in their flows during an average year. Also on this trail, unlike the Oregon trail, there was a serious danger of Indian attacks, for neither the Comanches nor the Apaches of the southern high plains tolerated trespassers. In 1825, Congress voted for federal protection for the Santa Fe Trail, even though much of it lay in the Mexican territory. Lack of food and water also made the trail very risky. Weather conditions, like huge lightning storms, gave the travelers even more difficulty. If a storm developed, there was often no place to take shelter and the livestock could get spooked. Rattlesnakes often posed a threat, and many people died due to snakebites. The caravan size increased later on to prevent Indian raids. The travelers also packed more oxen instead of mules because the Indians did not want to risk raiding the caravans only for some oxen.
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.
Why was the Cimarron River dangerous?
This route was generally very hazardous because it had very little water. In fact, the Cimarron River was one of the only sources of water along this branch of the trail. From Watrous, the reunited branches continued southward to Santa Fe. Part of this route has been designated a National Scenic Byway .
What did the Rio Arriba rebel against?
In 1837, the forces of Rio Arriba (the upper Rio Grande, i.e., northern New Mexico) rebelled against Pérez's enforcement of the recent Mexican constitution, new revenue laws taxing Santa Fe commerce and entertainment, and the large grants of New Mexico land to wealthy Mexicans.
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.
Why did the Comanche raid New Mexico?
Comanche raiding farther south in Mexico isolated New Mexico, making it more dependent on the American trade. They raided to gain a steady supply of horses to sell.
Who intercepted Mexican caravans along the Santa Fe Trail?
After Warfield's men reached Bent's Fort on foot, they disbanded. In February 1843, Colonel Jacob Snively had received a commission to intercept Mexican caravans along the Santa Fe Trail, similar to that received by Warfield the year prior.
Who blazed the Santa Fe Trail?
William Becknell blazes the Santa Fe Trail. Captain William Becknell made the first successful venture to Santa Fe over the Santa Fe Trail. With him were four trusted companions, who left Arrow Rock on the Missouri River near Franklin, Missouri, on September 1, 1821. After arriving in Santa Fe on November 16, 1821, and making an enormous profit, ...
Where is the Santa Fe Trail Museum?
The Santa Fe Trail Museum in the old Colfax County Courthouse in Springer, New Mexico by Kathy Weiser-Alexander. The Rock Crossing of the Canadian River, also in Colfax County, was used by Indians from early times and later by travelers on the Cimarron Route.
When was the Pueblo of Pecos abandoned?
The pueblo was still inhabited when the Santa Fe Trail opened in 1821, but it was abandoned around 1838. The abandoned pueblo was used as a campsite by trail travelers and was often mentioned in their journals.
When was the Plaza de Santa Fe built?
Established in about 1610 by Don Pedro de Peralta, the Plaza has long stood as the commercial, social, and political center of Santa Fe. It would have teamed with carts, goods, livestock, traders, and townspeople during the 19th century at the height of the Santa Fe Trail.
Where is the old mission in New Mexico?
Ruins of the old mission at Pecos Pueblo, New Mexico. Pecos Pueblo. Pigeon’s Ranch. Glorieta and Canoncito. Santa Fe. The Santa Fe Trail, in the days of its greatest fame, extended from Independence, Missouri, to Santa Fe, the capital city of the province of New Mexico.
Who was the rock crossing named after?
This rock crossing, which is still visible, was named for a young trader, Robert McNees, who was killed here by Indians in 1828. The site was also used as a campground, and a group of traders celebrated the Fourth of July here in 1831.
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