Volume 6 , Issue 11

Santa Fe Trail - A Bridge Between the United States and Mexico...

The Santa Fe Trail was established as a wagon route by William Becknell in 1822. The Santa Fe Trail became the first major trade link between the eastern United States and the newly established country of Mexico. From the 1820's to the 1860's a steady stream of wagon trains followed this historic route. From Missouri came materials and supplies that were vital to the developement of northern Mexico; Mexican traders sent silver, furs, and other products tot he U.S. Traveling only 12-15 miles per day the 800 mile trip could take 7 weeks. With the discovery of gold in California in the late 1840's, traffic increased greatly on the Santa Fe Trail. Traders, goldseekers and military troops were frequent travelers on the trail throughout the 1850's. Following the Civil War, however, conswtruction of railroads began in the region. By the 1860's and 70's trade items and military freight were increasingly carried by rail. On February 9th, 1880, when the first steam locomotive passed near Santa Fe, New Mexico, the wagon trail was no longer needed. This brought about the end of nearly 60 years of commercial use of the Santa Fe Trail.   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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