How long did it take to travel the Trail? For most people, it took
8 to 10 weeks
to travel by wagon train between Independence or Westport, Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
How big is the Santa Fe Trail?
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.
How long was the mountain route of the Santa Fe Trail?
Trail length from Independence to Santa Fe via the Mountain Route =
844 miles
. With the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, New Mexico and surrounding territory was now part of the US Southwest. Military traffic joined commercial traffic along the Santa Fe Trail.
Who walked the Santa Fe Trail?
Between 1821 and 1880, the Santa Fe Trail was primarily a commercial highway connecting Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico. The route was pioneered by Missouri trader
William Becknell
, who left Franklin, Missouri in September 1821.
What is the main purpose of the Santa Fe Trail?
The Santa Fe Trail (aka, Santa Fe Road) was an ancient passageway used regularly after 1821 by merchant-traders from Missouri who took manufactured goods to Santa Fe
to exchange for furs and other items available there
. Mexican traders also provided caravans going to western Missouri in this international trade.
Can I drive the Santa Fe Trail?
Car.
You can reach most trail sites by auto or bicycle, or on foot
. Some sites are along unpaved roads. A family of road signs has been initiated across the Santa Fe Trail to help you find original routes, trail crossings, and local sites.
How long is the Old Spanish Trail?
The Old Spanish Trail is an historical trade route that connected the northern New Mexico settlements of (or near) Santa Fe, New Mexico with those of Los Angeles, California and southern California.
Approximately 700 mi (1,100 km)
long, the trail ran through areas of high mountains, arid deserts, and deep canyons.
How many miles is the California Trail?
This was the greatest mass migration in American history. Crossing 10 States, the entire California National Historic Trail system spans approximately
5,665 miles
. About 1,100 miles of trail still have obvious remains on the ground such as trail ruts and other remnants, many on public lands.
Where does the California Trail start 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).
What towns did the Santa Fe Trail go through?
- Franklin, Missouri.
- Independence, Missouri.
- Council Grove, Kansas.
- Fort Larned, Kansas.
- Fort Dodge (Dodge City), Kansas.
- Lakin, Kansas.
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.
Did the Santa Fe Trail go through Oklahoma?
That short-lived military post, established by Christopher “Kit” Carson in 1865, holds the distinction of being the only military establishment on the Santa Fe Trail in Oklahoma.
The trail finally exited the state from the southwestern portion of Cimarron County into Union County, New Mexico
.
Did the Santa Fe Trail go through Colorado?
The Santa Fe Trail between Missouri and Santa Fe, in what was Mexico,
ran through the southeast corner of Colorado
. This reliable route was traversed by a bevy of fortune-seeking individuals, including “Wild” Bill Hickok, frontiersman Kit Carson, Jedediah Smith and explorer Zebulon Pike.
How did the Santa Fe Trail Change New Mexico?
From 1821 to 1846, as more and more traders took their goods over the Santa Fe Trail,
it became an international commercial highway used by Mexican and American traders
. The 900-mile trail connected Old Franklin, Missouri to Santa Fe and was the lifeline linking the New Mexico Territory to the eastern United States.
What food did they eat on the Santa Fe Trail?
For Western Indian tribes, food staples included
cornmeal, sunflower-seed meal, acorns, and deer, buffalo and dog
, he says. Indian delicacies included buffalo hide shavings cooked with chokecherries.
What ended the Santa Fe Trail?
End of the Santa Fe Trail
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.
What tribes were on the Santa Fe Trail?
Although Becknell in 1822 encountered only three tribes, some dozen different tribes lived and hunted along the 800-plus miles of the Santa Fe Trail. Besides the
Osage, Kansa, and Comanche
, others included the Pawnee, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Kiowa, Kiowa (or Plains) Apache, Ute, Jicarilla Apache, and Pecos Pueblo.
Is Santa Fe the oldest city in the US?
Residents are primarily Hispanic, Anglo and Native American people. Situated at 7,000 feet in the foothills of the southern Rocky Mountains,
Santa Fe is the highest and oldest capital in the U.S.
Founded between 1607 and 1610, it’s America’s second oldest city. In 1912, New Mexico officially achieved statehood.
What were the two routes used for the Santa Fe Trail?
The historic trade route of the Santa Fe Trail from Missouri through Kansas to Santa Fe, New Mexico, had two primary branches —
the Cimarron Route and the Mountain Route
. During the trail’s heydays, both were well-traveled for different reasons.
Who were the main users of the Santa Fe Trail?
Traders and the military
were the main users of the Santa Fe Trail. When Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821, it tried to keep American traders out of New Mexico.
How long is the Oregon Trail in miles?
The Oregon Trail was a wagon road stretching
2170 miles
from Missouri to Oregon’s Willamette Valley. It was not a road in any modern sense, only parallel ruts leading across endless prairie, sagebrush desert, and mountains.
What is the Oregon Trail known for?
The Oregon Trail was
a roughly 2,000-mile route from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon City, Oregon
, which was used by hundreds of thousands of American pioneers in the mid-1800s to emigrate west.
What state is Raton Pass in?
Raton Pass is a National Historic Landmark and the highest elevation point along the Santa Fe Trail, located on the state border between Trinidad, Colorado and Raton,
New Mexico
. The pass sits at 7,834 ft (2,388 m) and can be reached via Interstate 25 or by railroad on the Amtrak Southwest Chief passenger train.
Can you walk the Old Spanish Trail?
The Old Spanish National Historic Trail stretches between Santa Fe and Los Angeles, embodying a rich history, culture, and scenic beauty. In the early 1800s, this trail served as the key to Santa Fe’s success as a trading hub. Since then,
it’s become a popular spot for people to explore and walk through history
.
How long did it take to cross the Old Spanish Trail?
Traveling 12 – 15 miles per day, a round trip would take from
180 – 225 days
, assuming that nothing went wrong along the way. The journey on the trail was difficult. Travelers had to deal with water issues – both the lack of it for drinking and the over-abundance of it for river crossings.
Can you bike the Old Spanish Trail?
OSTA and communities and other stakeholders along the trail are looking at segments that can provide recreational opportunities for hiking, walking, horseback riding, and
mountain biking
. Your membership and involvement help us meet these important goals.
