In 1821 William Becknell started moving goods along an informal trail from Franklin, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico and others soon followed. In 1846 US Cavalary troops used the trail to invade New Mexico as the Mexican-American War began. The original path was created by Spaniards finding ways to reach the area of today’s mid-west US for exploration and possible trade.
The Santa Fe National Historic Trail crosses the five states of Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. The 900 mile long trail was formalized in 1848 and by the late 1860’s more than 5,000 wagons traveled the trail each year. Merchants pushed trains of freight wagons loaded with manufactured goods westward. In Santa Fe these were traded for burros, furs, gold, horses, and silver which moved back eastward. The trail was also used by stagecoach lines, thousands of gold seekers heading to the California and Colorado gold fields, adventurers, fur trappers, and emigrants.
The route crossed Comanche and Apache territories who insisted on a “toll” for crossing the areas where they lived and hunted. Wikipedia reports that “Americans routinely traded with the Comanche along the trail, sometimes finding the trade in Comancheria more profitable than that of Santa Fe.” And travelers found it a harsh environment with storms, mountains, deserts and little water.
The arrival of the train in about the 1860s negated the need for the Santa Fe trail route although people continued to use it both for trade and transportation until the early 1900s.
The trail went 3 miles north of Lamy, New Mexico where I live and today I can ride my horse along many sections. It is a great vacation adventure to follow the trail and there are many historical interest stops along the way. Enjoy our great western country!
You can get more information at these websites:
Santa Fe Trail Organization
National Park Service
Santa Fe Trail Research