History paper!

Hip Hip Hooray for The Santa Fe Trail

By Ella Diemer

2-16-11

“We’re on our way to Santa Fe, Hip hip hooray for Santa Fe” was one of the first statements William Becknell, a Missouri Trader, said in 1822 before leaving for The Santa Fe Trail. He was one of few travelers to complete the Santa Fe Trail. William was the first to follow the Trail that soon became known as the Santa Fe Trail. He was leaving for Santa Fe, New Mexico, from Missouri to trade goods along the way with other traders. Other people joined him. He used a wooden wagon unlike everyone else who tended to use pack mules or horses. Because he used it, other traders started to do it too and then started calling him the “Father of The Santa Fe Trail”. (Santa Fe Trail: William Becknell and the Santa Fe Trail)                

  The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th century transportation route that cut through the center of America and it connected Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was a small community and a military highway until the introduction of the railroads in 1880. At first it was an international trade route of New Mexico during the Mexican-American War. Soldiers used it and made sure that there was attacks from the Spanish.The Trail passed through Comanchereia, which was the territory of the Comanches. The Comanches  claimed compensation for the right-of-way, so American traders tended to trade goods and valuable items with the Comanches. The Comanches were one of the more successful Indian groups because they got more than they needed and that was  the only way that traders could get through.The Trail followed Route 56 near the town of Olathe, Kansas, to its western border. The Santa Fe Trail took about 8 weeks to travel, starting from Missouri to New Mexico and the Trail was about 1200 miles long.  Sometimes it would take months to finish because the lack of supplies and the unexpected storms.

            The Trail had some challenges;  it was full of plains, deserts and mountains and usually not a sign or trace of water could be found. It had very few plants and, with lack of water,  it made traveling difficult with livestock and horses. Animals would die because of starvation and dehydration. In addition, there was very little, if any, shelter to provide for the horses and livestock in the event of a lightning storm. The animals would get spooked and go out of control. Many travelers and livestock died due to rattlesnake bites. The rattlesnakes could only be detected by the sound of rattle snake. But that wasn't the only problem. Tribes of Indians, such as the Apaches and Comanches, attacked the traders and other travelers using the Trail. They wanted valuables and money and any kind of good that they can get if the white travelers crossed there territory.
        People who were traveling could choose between two different routes. The most difficult route was going through the Colorado Rockies because the Trail got very narrow and steep in parts. If livestock got spooked or felt like they were in danger they could easily start to get a little crazy and maybe even fall of the side of the mountains.Travelers of the Trail could use the Southern Cutoff, which shortened the trail by at least 100 miles, but it took the travelers very far from healthy water sources. Therefor they could die of no water. Once travelers completed either one of these routes they could end up near the eastern end of the Trail or they would end up in the central Missouri town of Franklin on the north bank of the Missouri River. West of Franklin, the trail crossed the Missouri River near Arrow Rock. The Santa Fe Trail was one of the big three Trails along with the Oregon Trail and the Chisholm Trail. It was one of the main Trails in the United States at the time. People from all around the world came and used it.
  The Trail was used for many different purposes. For example, miners used it to search for gold in 1849. Traders, freights, mountain men, merchants, military expeditions,and a few tourists used the Trail. During the Mexican-American War the Trail became a military road that filled up with armies and freights. On the western end of the Trail was Fort Union, which was built to watch out for Indian attacks. It was also used for the expansion of the West. A lot of travelers opened up this Trail, such as William Becknell. It was considered a passageway used by merchants-traders from Missouri, who brought manufactured goods to Santa Fe to exchange for furs and other valuables. The Santa Fe Trail was established to haul freight from Kansas City to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where these goods were traded with the Spanish. It was also mainly used as a commercial route. The Santa Fe Trail was very popular as a transportation route.The Santa Fe Trail was also used by trappers, who placed traps along the Trail and then came back to see what animal they caught. They usually did not trap a lot of animals because there are not any real signs of animals on the Santa Fe Trail besides rattle snakes, scorpions and small insects.

  The Trail was first discovered in 1806 by Zebulon Montgomery Pike. Pike traveled into the west from St.Louis to explore the wildlife and forest. He traveled deeper and farther until he came across the Arkansas River, which he followed into Colorado. As he hiked on farther he came across a towering mountain. Pike tried to climb it to see what was on the other side but it was too big and he did not succeed. About 14 years later, three explorers from Stephen Longs expedition were positive that they were better climbers than Pike. They tried to climb the mountain that Pike failed to do and they succeeded. By then Pike was very famous and had written about all about his adventures and expeditions. He wrote about a small, rich Spanish town named Santa Fe and that caught the readers eye. The mountain that Pike tried to climb soon became Pikes Peak, in honor of his attempt. Traders heard about the town called Santa Fe and were anxious to get there. Several traders began traveling there but many of the first to do so were thrown into jail. The settlers of the Spanish territories did not want explorers there. For the most part, Santa Fe stayed isolated from the rest of the world. Americans started moving west and Missouri became a real State. In that same year, William Becknell led some traders through what we now know as the “Santa Fe Trail”. Santa Fe didn’t realize that more explorers were coming to see what it is like there. Soon the little town of Santa Fe became popular to travelers. Traders on the Trail sometimes stopped to see if they could trade any valuables with the Spanish. Sometimes they were lucky and sometimes they were not. That’s how the little town of Santa Fe became popular but some of the locals were not happy with all the different people stopping in to do a little bit of exploring. Some people didn’t have a problem with it some people had a issue with it.

   The Santa Fe Trail is still used today. It normally takes about 2-3 hours to drive in a car. People driving along the way can stop along the way to look around and try to imagine what it was like in the 1800 to early 1900’s. It is a long highway and many travelers still use it to get to Missouri from New Mexico and then back. There is a tour guide along the way for travelers and the tour guide will tell about the history of the Santa Fe Trail. At rest stops along the way there are little trails that you can take and go exploring or ride a bike or take a run. There is a lot of scenery along the way.
                          Nowadays, The Santa Fe Trail is still used for shipping, and is a good transportation route.  It has been used for many different reasons and has evolved a lot during this period of time;  it is part of our national history. The Santa Fe Trail is one of the biggest trails still used today by travelers. Since it is a highway, many cars use it. There are houses on both sides of the road and people can even stay at hotels. There is even a national park that people can go see and visit. The Santa Fe Trail has made much history, starting from the expansion of the west to the highway that it is replacing today.  The Santa Fe Trail was used for trading goods and may people used it as a trading passage way.