Where did the Santa Fe Trail originate?

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.

Who led the Santa Fe Trail and why did they go there?

In 1846, the United States declared war on Mexico and sent General Stephen Watts Kearney and his 1,600 men along the Santa Fe Trail to occupy New Mexico. Kearney took the Mountain Route, hoping its hazardous terrain would offer protection from Mexican troops.

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 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 food did they eat on the Santa Fe Trail?

Can you still see the Santa Fe Trail?

The road route is commemorated today by the National Park Service as the Santa Fe National Historic Trail….

Does the Santa Fe Trail still exist?

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, Santa Fe Trail Mountain Route – Bent’s New Fort is included on the National Register.

How did the Santa Fe Trail play a part in the US Civil War?

In 1858, many of the 1,800 wagons traveling the Santa Fe Trail carried military supplies. In 1862, the Civil War arrived in the West. Confederates from Texas pushed up the Rio Grande Valley into New Mexico, intent on seizing the territory and Fort Union, and ultimately the rich Colorado gold fields.

How long is the Sante Fe trail?

1,400 km
Santa Fe Trail/Length

What were the two main causes of death along the trail?

Emigrants feared death from a variety of causes along the trail: lack of food or water; Indian attacks; accidents, or rattlesnake bites were a few. However, the number one killer, by a wide margin, was disease. The most dangerous diseases were those spread by poor sanitary conditions and personal contact.

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.

What causes the most deaths on the Oregon Trail?

Shootings, drownings, being crushed by wagon wheels, and injuries from handling domestic animals were the common killers on the trail. Wagon accidents were the most prevalent. Both children and adults sometimes fell off or under wagons and were crushed under the wheels.

When did the Santa Fe Trail start and end?

Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, it served as a vital commercial highway until the introduction of the railroad to Santa Fe in 1880. Santa Fe was near the end of the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, which carried trade from Mexico City.

Who was the father of the Santa Fe Trail?

1822 – William Becknell used wagons instead of pack mules or horses to take trade goods over the Santa Fe Trail. Because Becknell found a good mode of transportation and a passable wagon route, he is credited as the Father of the Sante Fe Trail.

When did capt.william Becknell start the Santa Fe Trail?

WELCOME TO THE PREMIER SITE ABOUT CAPT. WILLIAM BECKNELL AND THE SANTA FE TRAIL (WHICH HE BEGAN IN 1822). Since its inception some eight years ago this site has been visited by over 50,000 people interested in this aspect of American history.

Where was the main market for the Santa Fe Trail?

Its major market in Missouri was St. Louis, with its port on the Mississippi River. The French explorer Pedro Vial pioneered the route in 1792, and French traders from St. Louis gained a fur trading monopoly from the Spanish in Santa Fe.

What is the history of the Santa Fe Trail?

Santa Fe Trail. Definition: The Santa Fe Trail was one of America’s great trade routes, used as a commercial, military and emigrant trail from 1821 until 1880, when it was replaced by the railroad. It ran 900 miles from Independence, Missouri, to Santa Fe (now New Mexico).

What are the dangers of the Santa Fe Trail?

It was easy to get lost where everything looked the same in every direction you looked. Another danger along this part of the Santa Fe Trail was Indian attack. No matter what the dangers were, this desert was the route used most by the traders.

Why was the Santa Fe Trail important?

The Santa Fe Trail was an important trade route in the nineteenth century. Between 1821 and 1880, the Santa Fe Trail was mainly used as a commercial travel route connecting Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Explorer William Becknell initially followed this route in his 1821 attempt to find an alternative market for his merchandise.

Where did the Santa Fe Trail start?

The Santa Fe Trail started in Independence, Missouri, near Kansas City. The Santa Fe Trail was the 780 mile long (1,256 km long) route that settlers, cattlemen, and traders followed southwest through Kansas and either Colorado or Oklahoma to Santa Fe, New Mexico, beginning in 1821.