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The Santa Fe Trail opened in 1821, with an advertisement in the Missouri Intelligencer by William Becknell, seeking men willing to join and invest in a trading expedition to the west. Becknell started on this expedition on September 1, 1821 from the Franklin and Arrow Rock area of Missouri, ending at the Plaza in Santa Fe, New Mexico in November of the same year. His first trip was made with pack animals, the next trip to trade in 1822, Becknell used wagons. The Trail soon became a highway of trade connecting the southwest area of Santa Fe, New Mexico with eastern trade centers.
The Santa Fe Trail Research site contains information about trail projects and articles undertaken by many trail historians and researchers who have given our site permission to put their work on the internet. Read about the history and view markers and photos of important landmarks along parts of the Trail. View sites the traders seen as they traveled the trail, where wagon ruts can still be seen even though the wagon trains carrying trade goods have not trod its length for over one hundred and eighty five years.
Follow and find information about the Santa Fe Trail, facts about its rich history as it makes its way from its eastern terminal in Old Franklin, Missouri to the western terminal the Plaza in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Trail follows or is very near these highways. US 60 & US 24 from Franklin, Missouri to Kansas City, Kansas, take I-35 from the Missouri/Kansas line to Gardner, Kansas. At Gardner, Kansas the junction of the Santa Fe and Oregon Trail was located. From Gardner follow US 56 highway to Dodge City, Kansas. The Trail splits into two Trails near this point. From Dodge City, follow US 56 out the southwest corner of Kansas, across the northwest corner of Oklahoma to Springer, New Mexico. This route was called the Cimarron Cutoff, or Desert Route, the shortest route to Santa Fe, New Mexico.
The Mountain Route of the Santa Fe Trail, start at Dodge City, Kansas, take US 50 to west of Las Animas, Colorado and Bent's Fort before turning south to crossing the Arkansas River. Leaving the National Historic site of Bent's Fort, take US 350 in La Junta, southwest to Trinidad, Colorado, over the Raton Pass on I-25 to the Plaza in Santa Fe, New Mexico. If you follow these highways, you will never be more then a few miles from the original route traveled by traders and merchants. In many places the highway was the Santa Fe Trail. In other places you will be able to view the same wagon tracks or ruts created by the heavy weight of the freight wagons from the highway.
In Hamilton County, Kansas the Aubry Cutoff crossed the Arkansas River, taking a South/Southwest route into Colorado and New Mexico. The Fort Hays/Fort Dodge Road has been marked as it crosses Ellis, Rush, Hodgeman, Ness and Ford Counties in Kansas. There are auto tours of the Wet/Dry Routes, Cimarron Cutoff, Rice County, Kansas and Lexington, Missouri areas.
A very important thing to remember as you visit these Santa Fe Trail sites, most of the Trail is on "Private Property and should be treated as such!"
You may ask, "What can we see and do along the Santa Fe Trail?" This link will help you find your own answer to that question with trail maps and sites to visit. This by no means covers all the sites, but then again the Santa Fe Trail is an adventure of discovery.
Santa Fe Trail Research Site
St. John, Kansas
Forts Associated With The Santa Fe Trail
Fort Union, Nm.
"Santa Fe Trail Research"
Research Articles Page"Search The Trail"
Reading List of Santa Fe Trail Books"Wagon Tracks Index"
First Ten Years"News and Photos of Interest"
Trail News and Link Page"Santa Fe Trail Pictures"
Pictures & History"Last Chance Store"
Order Wagon Tracks
"This Web Site Is Made With Care Ware"
Yours Should Be Also!
Santa Fe Trail Research Site
www.santafetrailresearch.com/
santafetrail@stjohnks.net
Maintained & Copyright
by
Larry & Carolyn Mix
St. John, Kansas
Material from these pages may be used
with prior written consent from the webmaster only!
© "1997 -- 2008"
Santa Fe Trail Research Site = 3345 files -- 86.5 meg
960+ pages
"1/10/08-12"
www.santafetrailresearch.com/
"1/21/98"
St John Kansas Dot Net
"10/1/07"
9/09/2006 = 335,637
