Santa Fe Trail: Difference between revisions

'''''[[United States Genealogy|United States]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[United States Migration Internal|Migration]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]] [[US Migration Trails and Roads|Trails and Roads ]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png]]'' [[Santa_Fe_Trail|Santa Fe Trail]]'''

Shortly after [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_independence Mexican independence from Spain] in 1821, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Becknell William Bicknell], a merchant-trader opened the Santa Fe Trail as a lucrative trade route from Franklin, [[Missouri Genealogy|Missouri]] to Santa Fe, [[New Mexico Genealogy|New Mexico]]. During most of its history the trail was used to carry pack-trains or wagon loads of trade goods between Missouri and New Mexico. In 1846 at the start of the [[Mexican War, 1846 to 1848|Mexican War]] the United States Army used the Santa Fe Trail to invade and later supply New Mexico. At the end of the war Mexico ceded territory that would become [[California, United States Genealogy|California]], [[Nevada Genealogy|Nevada]], [[Utah Genealogy|Utah]], [[Colorado, United States Genealogy|Colorado]], [[Arizona Genealogy|Arizona]], and [[New Mexico Genealogy|New Mexico]] to the United States. Some American [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Gold_Rush forty-niners] used the Santa Fe Trail on the way to the California gold fields. Before long, ox teams pulling wagons began to carry more and more [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_pioneer pioneers] from the expanding United States into New Mexico and the western states. Eventually, in 1880, the old wagon trail was replaced by the [[Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway|Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway]] which&nbsp;roughly followed the Santa Fe Trail Mountain Route from Kansas City into Colorado and New Mexico.<ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Santa Fe Trail" in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Fe_Trail (accessed 19 July 2009).</ref>  

Part of the reason the Santa Fe Trail was a success was because it linked the [[United States Genealogy|United States]] to two other significant trade routes, the [[Camino Real de Tierra Adentro|Camino Real]], and the [[Old Spanish Trail|Old Spanish Trail]], all forming a hub in Santa Fe. Since 1598 the Camino Real had been used to carry settlers and goods from Mexico City and Chihuahua to Santa Fe.<ref>Wikipedia contributors, "El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro" in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Camino_Real_de_Tierra_Adentro (accessed 19 July 2009).</ref> When the Santa Fe Trail opened these Mexican goods could be traded for goods from the United States. In 1829-1830 the Old Spanish Trail also was opened connecting Los Angeles to Santa Fe making even more merchandise available for trade.<ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Old Spanish Trail" in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'' at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Spanish_Trail_(trade_route) (accessed 19 July 2009).</ref>  

* Vernon, Joseph S. {{FHL|1053152|disp=Along the old trail : a history of the old and a story of the new Santa Fe Trail}}, online through FamilySearch Catalog.

During much of its early history, the only permanant white settlement on the Santa Fe Trail was [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bent%27s_Old_Fort Bent's Old Fort] in Colorado. Many of the following places were built later in trail history, or after the coming of the nearby [[Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway|Santa Fe Railway]]. From east to west some of the more prominent places along or near the Santa Fe Trail included:  

'''Cimarron Route''' (60 miles shorter but drier&nbsp;and less-dependable water and forage for livestock)  

'''Mountain Route''' (60 miles longer but wetter&nbsp;and more-dependable water and forage for livestock)  

American pioneer settlers who followed the Santa Fe Trail to [[Colorado, United States Genealogy|Colorado]], or northern [[New Mexico Genealogy|New Mexico]] would appear in land records, censuses, and possibly county histories. Few appear in lists as the earliest settlers because the Spanish speaking pioneers from old [[Mexico Genealogy|Mexico]] via the [[Camino Real de Tierra Adentro|Camino Real de Tierra Adentro]] preceded them by many years.  

American settlers who travelled the Santa Fe Trail most likely would have come from [[Kansas, United States Genealogy|Kansas]], [[Missouri Genealogy|Missouri]], [[Iowa Genealogy|Iowa]], [[Arkansas, United States Genealogy|Arkansas]],[[Illinois Genealogy|Illinois]], [[Kentucky, United States Genealogy|Kentucky]], or [[Tennessee Genealogy|Tennessee]].  

*[http://www.nps.gov/safe/ National Park Service, Santa Fe Trail]&nbsp;History, stories, and map