The Santa Fe Trail, stretching 1,200 miles from Franklin, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico , was one of America’s great trading routes.
Where does the Santa Fe trail go?
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.
What cities did the Santa Fe Trail go through?
- The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. ...
- The route skirted the northern edge and crossed the north-western corner of Comancheria, the territory of the Comanche.
What were the two routes of 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.
Where did the Santa Fe Trail split?
The Santa Fe, Oregon, and California trails split at Gardner Junction — just outside of Gardner, Kansas — and was a place of commerce for many.
How many died on the Santa Fe Trail?
Merchants traveled in caravans, moving wagons in parallel columns so that they might be quickly formed into a circular corral, with livestock inside, in the event of an Indian attack. Josiah Gregg reported that up to 1843 Indians killed but eleven men on the trail.
Can you walk the Santa Fe Trail?
How do I visit or follow the Trail? The Santa Fe National Historic Trail is not a clearly marked nor continuous hiking trail . Instead it is a corridor that passes through communities as well as wild areas and through different states and land ownership. Places To Go will help you discover the many sites you can visit.
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.
Who led 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 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.
What did people bring with them on the Santa Fe Trail?
For almost 60 years the Santa Fe Trail was the conduit which brought goods to New Mexico and the southwest and had sent back silver, furs, and mules . But ideas were also exchanged across this route along with culture.
What states does the Gila Trail pass through?
It stretched from Texas, or Santa Fe, New Mexico (that one became Cooke’s Road when Lt. Col. Philip St. George Cooke led wagons and the Mormon Battalion south and west during the Mexican-American War), traversed southern New Mexico and southern Arizona , and then on to San Diego or Los Angeles.
What fort would you stop at if you were Travelling on the Santa Fe Trail?
Today, travelers can visit historic trading posts along the Santa Fe Trail, such as Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site , located about eight miles east of La Junta, Colorado, and Kozlowski’s Stage Station and Spring, which is about three and a half miles north of I-25 on New Mexico Highway 63.
What Rivers did the Santa Fe Trail cross?
After crossing the Arkansas River the Santa Fe Trail would lead to the Cimarron River to the south and west. The most used crossing of the Arkansas was between present day Dodge City, Kansas and Chauteau’s Island in present Kearny County, Kansas.
What made the Santa Fe Trail a popular and efficient route?
What made the Santa Fe Trail a popular and efficient route? The trail crossed the prairies to the Arkansas River and followed the river west toward the Rocky Mountains . The trail was mostly flat. The places that aimed to convert Native Americans to Christianity and Spanish culture were called?
