The Santa Fe Trail was the first of America's great Trans-Mississippi routes. Including the Mountain and Cimarron routes, the Trail stretched 1,200 miles from Franklin, Missouri, to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The route played a critical role in the westward expansion of the United States. From 1821 to 1880, it was an important two-way avenue for commerce and cultural exchange, fostering a transfer among Spanish, Native American, and American cultures. It was the first international trade route, swapping needed materials from Missouri for Mexican silver, furs, mules, and wood.
Spanish settlers first occupied the Pueblo region in 1598 and by 1630 each village had its own mission. Pueblo and Plains Indian trade fairs at Pecos and Taos first introduced Spanish residents to native products. The Santa Fe Trail passed through the territories and ranges of many Native American tribes, including the Pawnee, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Comanche, and Kiowa. Consequently, Indian and Spanish traders used the Trail as a commercial route. After 50 years of Spanish influence and oppression, the Pueblo people revolted, in 1680, against settlers and successfully drove them from the territory. In 1692, however, they were again conquered by the Spainards.
For nearly 200 years New Mexico fell under Spain's control, but after a ten-year struggle, Mexico gained its independence on September 27, 1821. Within the same year the Santa Fe Trail opened, making it one of the longest overland routes on the American continent. Trade flourished between Mexico and the United States as more than 5,000 wagons a year traversed the route up until 1880 when the railroad arrived in Santa Fe. Travelers can visit the only white settlement along the trail, Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site, about eight miles east of La Junta, Colorado. Bent's Old Fort was an active trading post from 1833-1849 and during the war with Mexico in 1846 Bent's Old Fort provided a convenient staging ground for Colonel Stephen Watts Kearny's "Army of the West." Through original paintings and sketches and archaeological excavations the fort was faithfully rebuilt in 1976.
After the Mexican-American War (1846-48), the Jicarillas, Comanches, Kiowas, and other tribes were increasingly threatened by the traffic on the Trail, especially as the United States government promised to subdue the various Indian tribes. Such a pledge led to an intermittent war that did not end until the mid-1870s. Afterwards, the Native American population within New Mexico territory was confined to reservations. The Santa Fe Trail mainly became a military road, not only supplying a large contingent of troops in the Southwest, but also continuing to ship mercantile goods to New Mexico territory and Mexico. Tourists can visit the ruins at Fort Union, one of New Mexico territory's biggest arsenals and depots of the late 19th century. The divisions stationed at Fort Union played a significant role guarding the territory from Confederate assaults during the Civil War.
After the Civil War, the railroads expanded westward and by 1879 the first locomotive reached Las Vegas, New Mexico. Shortly thereafter, in 1880, the railroad reached Lamy, a small town about 20 miles south of Santa Fe, essentially ending wagon traffic across the 900 miles of plains. Despite over a hundred years of disuse, travelers can still spot wagon ruts along portions of the Trail. In 1987 Congress designated Santa Fe a National Historic Trail. Even after hundreds of years disuse visitors today are able to enjoy the West's extensive history and culture along the Santa Fe Trail.
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