Trail logo

The Santa Fe Trail was an historic 19th century transportation route across southwestern North America connecting Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. First used in 1821 by William Becknell, it served as a vital commercial and military highway until the introduction of the railroad to Santa Fe in 1880. At first an international trade route between the United States and Mexico, it served as the 1846 U.S. invasion route of New Mexico during the Mexican-American War. After the U.S. acquisition of the Southwest, the trail helped open the region to U.S. economic development and settlement, playing a vital role in the expansion of the U.S. into the lands it had acquired. The road route is commemorated today by the National Park Service as the Santa Fe National Historic Trail. A highway route that roughly follows the trail's path through Colorado and northern New Mexico has been designated the Santa Fe Trail National Scenic Byway. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... Official language(s) English Capital Jefferson City Largest city Kansas City Largest metro area St Louis Metro[1] Area  Ranked 21st  - Total 69,709 sq mi (180,693 km²)  - Width 240 miles (385 km)  - Length 300 miles (480 km)  - % water 1. ... Nickname: The City Different Location in the State of New Mexico Coordinates: Country United States State New Mexico County Santa Fe Founded 1607  - Mayor David Coss Area    - City  37. ... The coronation banquet for George IV 1821 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... William Becknell (1787 or 1788-1856) Amherst County, Virginia US was a freighter and the first white man to open what became known as the Santa Fe Trail to trade. ... This is the top-level page of WikiProject trains Rail tracks Rail transport refers to the land transport of passengers and goods along railways or railroads. ... Year 1880 (MDCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar). ... 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Capital Santa Fe Largest city Albuquerque Area  Ranked 5th  - Total 121,665 sq mi (315,194 km²)  - Width 342 miles (550 km)  - Length 370 miles (595 km)  - % water 0. ... Combatants United States Mexico Commanders Zachary Taylor Winfield Scott Stephen W. Kearney Antonio López de Santa Anna Mariano Arista Pedro de Ampudia José Mariá Flores Strength 78,790 soldiers 18,000–40,000 soldiers Casualties KIA: 1733 Total dead: 13,271 Wounded: 4,152 25,000 killed or wounded... The National Park Service (NPS) is the United States federal agency that manages all National Parks, many National Monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations. ... A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for its archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and/or scenic qualities. ...

Route

Map of the Santa Fe Trail (in red) in 1845

Santa Fe Trail ruts at Fort Union

The eastern end of the trail was in the central Missouri town of Franklin on the north bank of the Missouri River. The route across Missouri first used by Becknell followed portions of the existing Osage Trace. West of Franklin the trail crossed the Missouri near Arrow Rock, after which it followed roughly the route of present-day U.S. Route 24. It passed north of Marshall, through Lexington to Fort Osage, then to Independence. Independence was also one of the historic "jumping off points" for the Oregon and California Trails. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (993x589, 43 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Santa Fe Trail ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (993x589, 43 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Santa Fe Trail ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1920x2560, 1103 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Santa Fe Trail Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1920x2560, 1103 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Santa Fe Trail Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used... Franklin is a city located in Howard County, Missouri. ... The Missouri River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the United States. ... Arrow Rock is a town located in Saline County, Missouri. ... U.S. Route 24, a dual north-south/east-west route, is one of the original United States highways of 1926. ... Marshall is a city located in Saline County, Missouri. ... Lexington is a city located in Lafayette County, Missouri, United States. ... Fort Osage is an early 19th century fort built along the Missouri river just Northwest of Sibley, MO. It was built in 1808 under the direction of William Clark. ... The Ox Team or the Old Oregon Trail 1852-1906 by Ezra Meeker. ... Main route of California Trail (thick red line), including Applegate-Lassen and Beckwourth variations (thinner red lines) The California Trail was a major overland emigrant route across the Western United States from Missouri to California in the middle 19th century. ...

West of Independence, in the State of Missouri, it roughly followed the route of U.S. Route 56 to the town of Olathe. The section of the trail between Independence and Olathe was also used by emigrants on the California and Oregon Trails, which branched off to the northwest near Gardner, Kansas. U.S. Highway 56 is an east-west United States highway that runs for 640 miles from Kansas City, Missouri to northern New Mexico. ... Olathe ( O-Lay-tha) is a city located in northeast Kansas, and is the second most populous city and county seat of Johnson County. ... Gardner is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, USA. The population in 2006 was 13,321. ...

From Olathe, the trail passed through the towns of Baldwin City, Burlingame, and Council Grove, then swung east of McPherson to the town of Lyons. West of Lyons the trail followed nearly the route of present-day Highway 56 to Great Bend, where it encountered the Arkansas River. Branches of the trail followed both sides of the river upstream to Dodge City and Garden City. Baldwin City is a city in Douglas County, Kansas, south of Lawrence. ... Burlingame is a small community in Osage County, Kansas, United States. ... Council Grove is a city located in Morris County, Kansas. ... McPherson is a city located in McPherson County, Kansas. ... Lyons is a city located in Rice County, Kansas. ... Great Bend is the largest city and county seat of Barton County, Kansas, United States. ... The Arkansas River flows through Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. ... Dodge City is an important center for meat packing. ... Garden City is a city in Finney County, Kansas, United States. ...

West of Garden City in southwestern Kansas the trail has a complex network of branches. One of the branches continued to follow the Arkansas upstream in southeastern Colorado to the town of La Junta. At La Junta, the trail continued south into New Mexico to Fort Union at Watrous. A dramatization of life on the route was made into a motion picture in 1940, starring Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Raymond Massey and Ronald Reagan. Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Area  Ranked 8th  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ... Santa Fe Railroad car at the La Junta Depot (Photo ©2004 Wyvonne Phillips) La Junta is a city in Otero County, Colorado, United States. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (June 20, 1909 – October 14, 1959) was an Australian film actor, most famous for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films and his flamboyant lifestyle. ... Olivia Mary de Havilland (born July 1, 1916) is a Golden Globe, and two time Academy Award, winning British actress, born in Japan, who became an American citizen in 1941. ... Raymond Massey photographed by Carl Van Vechten Raymond Hart Massey (August 30, 1896 – July 29, 1983) was a Canadian actor. ... Ronald Wilson Reagan (February 6, 1911 – June 5, 2004) was the 40th President of the United States (1981 – 1989) and the 33rd Governor of California (1967 – 1975). ...

Cimarron Cutoff

The other main branch cut southwest to the valley of the Cimarron River near the town of Ulysses and Elkhart then continued toward Boise City, Oklahoma, to Clayton, New Mexico, joining up with northern branch at Fort Union. From Watrous, the reunited branches continued southward to Santa Fe. The Cimarron is a river in the USA. It rises near Folsom, New Mexico, and flows through New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado, and Kansas before reaching the Arkansas above Tulsa, Oklahoma. ... Ulysses is a city located in Grant County, Kansas. ... Cimarron National Grassland is a National Grassland located in Morton County, Kansas, United States. ... Cimarron County is a county located in the state of Oklahoma. ... Clayton is a town located in Union County, New Mexico. ... Fort Union National Monument is a unit of the National Park Service located in Watrous, New Mexico. ...

Part of this route has been designated a National Scenic Byway. A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for its archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and/or scenic qualities. ...

Historic preservation

Segments of this trail in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[1] The longest clearly identifiable section of the trail near Dodge City, Kansas is listed as a National Historic Landmark.^[2] Official language(s) English Capital Jefferson City Largest city Kansas City Largest metro area St Louis Metro[1] Area  Ranked 21st  - Total 69,709 sq mi (180,693 km²)  - Width 240 miles (385 km)  - Length 300 miles (480 km)  - % water 1. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... Official language(s) None Capital Oklahoma City Largest city Oklahoma City Area  Ranked 20th  - Total 69,960 sq mi (181,196 km²)  - Width 230 miles (370 km)  - Length 298 miles (480 km)  - % water 1. ... Capital Santa Fe Largest city Albuquerque Area  Ranked 5th  - Total 121,665 sq mi (315,194 km²)  - Width 342 miles (550 km)  - Length 370 miles (595 km)  - % water 0. ... A typical plaque showing entry on the National Register of Historic Places. ... Dodge City is an important center for meat packing. ... This article or section needs additional references or sources to improve its verifiability. ...

See also

• MO: Jackson County Historic Places
• KS: Johnson County Historic Places
• OK: Cimarron County Historic Places
• NM: Colfax County Historic Places
• Oregon-California Trails Association
• Pawnee Rock
• Related National Park Units
  • Fort Larned National Historic Site
  • Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site
  • Fort Union National Monument

List of Registered Historic Places in Missouri: // Adair County Adair St. ... List of Registered Historic Places in Kansas: Allen County Iola Allen County Jail Northrup House Anderson County Garnett Anderson County Courthouse Shelley-Tipton House Greeley Spencers Crossing Bridge Harris Samuel J. Tipton House Atchison County Atchison A. J. Harwi House Amelia Earhart Birthplace Amelia Earhart Historic District Atchinson Santa... This is a list of the sites in Oklahoma listed on the National Register of Historic Places. ... List of Registered Historic Places in New Mexico: // Bernalillo County Alameda Domingo Tafoya House Albuquerque A. W. Hayden House Adrian Barela House Albuquerque Municipal Airport Building, Old Albuquerque Veterans Administration Medical Center Aldo Leopold Neighborhood Historic District Antonio Vigil House Art Annex Aztec Auto Court Barela-Bledsoe House Barelas-South... The Oregon-California Trails Association is an interdisciplinary organization based at Independence, Missouri, United States. ... Pawnee Rock, one of the most famous landmarks on the Santa Fe Trail, is located in Pawnee Rock State Park, just north of Pawnee Rock, Kansas. ... Fort Larned was established in 1859 as a base of military operations against hostile Indians of the Central Plains, to protect traffic along the Santa Fe Trail and as an agency for the administration of the Central Plains Indians by the Bureau of Indian Affairs under the terms of the... Bents Fort Bents Old Fort is a National Historic Site in Bent County, Colorado. ... Fort Union National Monument is a unit of the National Park Service located in Watrous, New Mexico. ...

References

2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... April 10 is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... April 10 is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• [1] Santa Fe Trail Center
• National Park Service: Santa Fe Trail
  • Trails West Maps: Route choices
• Santa Fe Trail Research Site
• New Mexico Santa Fe Trail National Scenic Byway
  • Flying the Santa Fe Trail
• Pioneer Trails from US Land Surveys
• TerraServer Aerial photograph at Points of Rocks Mesa New Mexico