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88-654: The Applegate Trail was an emigrant trail through the present-day U.S. states of Idaho , Nevada , California , and Oregon used in the mid-19th century by emigrants on the American frontier . It was originally intended as a less dangerous alternative to the Oregon Trail by which to reach the Oregon Territory . Much of the route was coterminous with the California Trail . In 1843, part of

176-544: A brief but furious heyday between 1830 and 1848 as a trade route linking Santa Fe, New Mexico and Los Angeles, California. The Trail left Santa Fe and split into two routes. The South or Main Branch headed northwest past Colorado's San Juan mountains to near Green River, Utah. The North Branch proceeded due north into Colorado's San Luis Valley and crossed west over Cochetepa Pass to follow the Gunnison and Colorado rivers to meet

264-659: A commission to intercept Mexican caravans along the Santa Fe Trail, similar to that received by Warfield the year prior. After disbanding the volunteers under his command, Warfield located and joined the 190-man, Texas "Battalion of Invincibles", under the command of Snively. New Mexico Governor Manuel Armijo led Mexican troops out of Santa Fe to protect incoming caravans. But, after the Invincibles destroyed much of an advance party led by Captain Ventura Lovato,

352-542: A result of disease. The history of these trails and the settlers who traveled them have since become deeply embedded in the culture and folklore of the United States as some of the most significant influences to shape the content and character of the nation. The remains of many trail ruts can still be observed in various locations throughout the American West. Travelers may loosely follow various routes of

440-547: A small band of men in the proximate vicinity of St. Louis, giving McDaniel the rank of a Texas captain. After Warfield headed toward the Rockies with a companion, McDaniel led a robbery in April 1843 (in present-day Rice County, Kansas ) of a lightly defended Santa Fe Trail trading caravan. This resulted in the murder of its leader Antonio José Chávez, the son of a former governor of New Mexico, Francisco Xavier Chávez . Warfield

528-561: A unique part of this migration. Their move to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake was a response to their violent expulsion from Missouri and Illinois. As it was also motivated by a desire to maintain a religious and cultural identity it was necessary to find an isolated area where they could permanently settle and practice their religion in peace. The Southern Emigrant Trail was a major land route for immigration into California from

616-677: 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 the entire length of Kansas, the southeast corner of Colorado and northern New Mexico has been designated as the Santa Fe Trail National Scenic Byw. The Old Spanish Trail witnessed

704-662: Is now the Great Salt Lake in Utah. The Mormon Trail followed part of the Oregon Trail and then branched off at the fur trading post called Fort Bridger , founded by famed mountain man Jim Bridger . Heading south and following river valleys southwestward to the valley of the Great Salt Lake, Brigham Young led the first Mormons into present-day Utah during 1847. The Mormon Trail is 1,300 miles long and extends from Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah. The Mormon Trail

792-585: The American Civil War . Most settlers traveled in large parties or "trains" of up to several hundred wagons led by a wagon master . In 1859 the government published a guidebook called The Prairie Traveler , in order to help emigrants prepare for the journey. When it was constructed it became a popular form of transportation between the territories. These trains were more comfortable than the long walks and wagon rides. Disadvantages included robberies from outlaws like Jesse James . The Santa Fe Trail

880-639: The American Southwest , leading to the construction of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway . As the name suggests, the intended eastern terminus was to be Atchison, Kansas . In Kansas, the AT&;SF roadbed roughly paralleled the Santa Fe Trail west of Topeka as it expanded between 1868 and 1874. When a railroad bridge was built across the Missouri River to connect eastern markets to

968-828: The Arkansas River . Branches of the trail followed both sides of the river upstream to Dodge City and Garden City . West of Garden City in southwestern Kansas the trail splits into two branches. One of the branches, called the Mountain Route or the Upper Crossing continues up the Arkansas River to the confluence with the Purgatoire River near La Junta continuing along the Purgatoire River to Trinidad , then south through

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1056-627: The California Gold Rush enticed over 250,000 gold-seekers and farmers to travel overland the gold fields and rich farmlands of California during the 1840s and 1850s. Today, over 1,000 miles of trail ruts and traces can still be seen in the vast undeveloped lands between Casper, Wyoming, and the West Coast. The Mormon Trail was created by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , called "Mormons," who settled in what

1144-579: The Comanche nor the Apache of the southern high plains tolerated trespassers. In 1825, Congress voted for federal protection for the Santa Fe Trail, even though much of it lay in the Mexican territory. Lack of food and water also made the trail very risky. Weather conditions, like huge lightning storms, gave the travelers even more difficulty. If a storm developed, there was often no place to take shelter and

1232-794: The El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro the Southern Emigrant Trail route in 1849 ran westward from the El Camino Real to San Diego Crossing . After 1855, it ran from Mesilla, New Mexico , westward to Tucson, Arizona , then followed the Gila River to ferries on the Colorado River near what became Fort Yuma . It crossed the Colorado Desert to Vallecito , then up to Warner's Ranch . From Warner's

1320-588: The Emigrant Trails . Historians have estimated at least 500,000 emigrants used these three trails between 1843 and 1869, and despite growing competition from transcontinental railroads , some use even continued into the early 20th century. The major southern routes were the Santa Fe , Southern Emigrant , and Old Spanish Trails , as well as its wagon road successor the Mormon Road , a southern spur of

1408-878: The Lost River , the route then crossed the Klamath Basin and the Cascade Range into Southern Oregon . The trail followed Keene Creek to the Siskiyou Mountains , then Bear Creek and the Rogue River . Heading north from there, the route crossed the Umpqua River before crossing the Calapooya Mountains into the southern Willamette Valley. After the initial party traveled the trail, it continued to be used and improved over

1496-673: The Mexican–American War , the United States Army used the Santa Fe Trail to invade New Mexico. After the U.S. acquisition of the Southwest that ended the war, the trail was integral to the U.S. opening the region to economic development and settlement. It played a vital role in the westward expansion of the U.S. into these new lands. The road route is commemorated today by the National Park Service as

1584-555: The Missouri River , pioneers following any of the three trails typically left from one of three "jumping off" points on the Missouri's steamboat serviced river ports : Independence, Missouri , Saint Joseph, Missouri , or Council Bluffs , Iowa. (Once known as Kanesville, Iowa until 1852; after river dredging in the early 1850s, the latter town at the Missouri-Platte confluence became the most common departure point since it

1672-753: The National Register of Historic Places as the Applegate-Lassen Trail . Westward Expansion Trails Two major wagon-based transportation networks, one typically starting in Missouri and the other in the Mexican province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México , served the majority of settlers during the era of westward expansion. Three of the Missouri-based routes—the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails—were collectively known as

1760-522: The National Register of Historic Places . In Missouri, this includes the 85th and Manchester "Three Trails" Trail Segment , Arrow Rock Ferry Landing , Santa Fe Trail – Grand Pass Trail Segments , and Santa Fe Trail – Saline County Trail Segments . The longest clearly identifiable section of the trail, Santa Fe Trail Remains , near Dodge City, Kansas , is listed as a National Historic Landmark . In Colorado, Santa Fe Trail Mountain Route – Bent's New Fort

1848-787: The Oregon Country . The main route of the Oregon Trail stopped at the Hudson's Bay Company Fort Hall , a major resupply route along the trail near present-day Pocatello and where the California Trail split off to the south. Then the Oregon Trail crossed the Snake River Plain of present-day southern Idaho and the Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon before reaching the Willamette Valley . It

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1936-749: The Raton Pass into New Mexico. The other main branch, called the Cimarron Cutoff or Cimarron Crossing or Middle Crossing cut southwest across the Cimarron Desert (also known as the Waterscrape or La Jornada ) 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 . This route

2024-641: The Santa Fe National Historic Trail . A highway route that roughly follows the trail's path, through the entire length of Kansas , the southeast corner of Colorado and northern New Mexico, has been designated as the Santa Fe Trail National Scenic Byway . The Santa Fe Trail was a transportation route opened by the Indigenous people of North America as well as European trappers and traders in

2112-487: The Southern Route , of the California Trail, remained a minor migration route and in the early 1850s a mail route. After some alterations of the route between Cajon Pass and the border of California and in southern Utah, in 1855, it became a significant seasonal trade route between California and Utah, until 1869, when the transcontinental railroad ended Utah's winter isolation. Up to 50,000 people, or one-tenth of

2200-712: The Spanish Empire . From Santa Fe, American traders followed the old El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro southward to Chihuahua by way of El Paso del Norte . The Old Spanish Trail from Santa Fe , in Mexican New Mexico Territory to Los Angeles , in Mexican Alta California , developed in 1829–1830 to support the trade of New Mexican wool products for California horses and mules and carried parties of fur traders and emigrants from New Mexico to Southern California . Following

2288-837: The lucrative overland fur trade in ports on the Pacific Coast. Santa Fe was near the northern terminus of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro , which led overland between Mexico City to San Juan Pueblo, New Mexico . Cargo mule trains were run from Fort Bernard in Wyoming to the Santa Fe Trail at Fort Bent in Colorado . In 1825, the merchant Manuel Escudero of Chihuahua was commissioned by New Mexico governor Bartolome Baca to negotiate in Washington, D.C., for opening U.S. borders to traders from Mexico. Beginning in 1826, prominent aristocratic families of New Mexicans, such as

2376-528: The American trade. They raided to gain a steady supply of horses to sell. By the 1840s, trail traffic through the Arkansas Valley was so numerous that bison herds were cut off from important seasonal grazing land. This habitat disruption , on top of overhunting, contributed to the collapse of the species. Comanche power declined in the region when they lost their most important game. In 1846, during

2464-818: The Applegate Trail departed the main branch of the Oregon Trail. On the return trip, the group brought approximately 150 immigrants along the new southern route, also known as the South Road , South Emigrant Trail or the Scott-Applegate Trail . From Fort Hall, the route headed south following the Humboldt River before passing through the Black Rock Desert in present-day Nevada. The trail then entered Northern California and passed Goose and Tule lakes . After crossing

2552-633: The Applegate family of Missouri headed west along the Oregon Trail to the Oregon Country . Brothers Charles, Jesse , and Lindsay led their families through many hardships along the trail, including the loss of two children on the journey down the Columbia River . These experiences influenced the family to find an easier and safer way to the Willamette Valley . In 1846, the Oregon Provisional Legislature allowed

2640-496: The Applegates and others to attempt to find a more southerly route to Oregon. The group began the trek on June 25, 1846, with Jesse Applegate, Lindsay Applegate, David Goff, John Owen, B. F. Burch , W. Sportsman, Robert Smith, a Mr. Goodhue, J. Jones, B. Ausbuan, and Levi Scott starting the survey. Leaving La Creole , the party spent three and a half months surveying a route to Fort Hall in present-day Idaho. At that location,

2728-469: The California Trail used in the winter that also made use of the western half of the Old Spanish Trail. Regardless of the trail used, the journey was often slow and arduous, fraught with risks from dysentry , infectious diseases , dehydration , malnutrition , cholera , highwaymen , Indian attacks, injury, and harsh weather, with as many as one in ten travelers dying along the way, usually as

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2816-407: The Chávezes, Armijos, Pereas, and Oteros, entered into the commerce along the trail. By 1843, traders from New Mexico and Chihuahua had become the majority of traders involved in the traffic of goods over the Santa Fe Trail. In 1835, Mexico City had sent Albino Pérez to govern the department of New Mexico as Jefe Politico (political chief or governor) and as commanding military officer. In 1837,

2904-413: The Dodge City cattle trail and Colorado coal mines, the railroad spurred the growth of Kansas City, Missouri . Building the railway westwards beyond the New Mexico border was delayed and placed the railroad under financial pressure. In response, they offered packaged "Shopping Excursion deals" to potential real estate buyers. The railroad began to discount such trips to visit its land offices and gave back

2992-477: The French explorer Pierre Vial made another pioneering trip on the route in 1792, and French traders and trappers from St. Louis gained progressively a fur trading dominance from the Spanish in Santa Fe as well as with the Indian tribes living in this vast region. Other French traders and trappers made trips on the trail from St. Louis, such as Auguste Pierre Chouteau and Jules de Mun in 1815, who were arrested by Spanish authorities in Santa Fe. After Louisiana

3080-409: 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 . West of Independence, it roughly followed the route of U.S. Route 56 from near the town of Olathe to

3168-411: The Oregon Country between Great Britain and the United States, mostly along the 49th parallel. The Territory of Oregon was established shortly afterward, in 1848, and over 12,000 American settlers made the journey there during the decade. Families usually began their journey at Independence, Missouri, near the Missouri River with the best time to travel is from April to September. The journey to cross

3256-401: The Oregon Trail along the way in 40 years. American settlers began following the trail in 1841, with the first recorded settler wagon traingroup being the 1843 "Great Migration" of about 900 settlers, led in part by Marcus Whitman . The Provisional Government of Oregon was established by such settlers in 1843, generally limited to the Willamette Valley. The Oregon Treaty of 1846 divided

3344-451: The Republic of Texas and its president Mirabeau B. Lamar . Their intention was to persuade the people of Santa Fe and New Mexico to relinquish control over the territory under dispute with Mexico, and over associated Santa Fe Trail commerce. Knowing about recent political disturbances there, they hoped for a welcome by the rebellious faction in New Mexico. What was known as the Texan Santa Fe Expedition encountered many difficulties. The party

3432-451: The Santa Fe Trail or on the San Antonio-El Paso Road developed in 1849, across West Texas to El Paso where it followed the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro north to link up to the Cooke's Wagon Road/Southern Emigrant Trail at the cutoff through the San Diego Crossing . In 1856, as part of an improvement of the route as a military road, a cutoff was built to Cooke's Spring from Mesilla , (part of Mexico until 1853). From Cooke's Spring

3520-412: The Southern Branch near Green River. From central Utah the trail trended southwest to an area now shared by Utah, Nevada and Arizona. It crossed southern Nevada and passed through the Mojave Desert to San Gabriel Mission and Los Angeles. The Oregon Trail, the longest of the overland routes used in the westward expansion of the United States, was first traced by settlers and fur traders for traveling to

3608-401: The Trail soon dropped to merely local trade. After World War I the trail gradually became a paved automobile road. 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 and the Medicine Trails. West of Franklin, the trail crossed

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3696-399: The Utah Territory, and finally the State of Utah. The Mormon settlers shared similar experiences with others traveling west: the drudgery of walking hundreds of miles, suffocating dust, violent thunderstorms, mud, temperature extremes, bad water, poor forage, sickness, attacks from indians, and death. They recorded their experiences in journals, diaries, and letters. The Mormons, however, were

3784-439: The day in order to find a good campsite ahead of the crowd. Others spoke of the need to wear masks for protection against the dust kicked up by the heavy traffic. The main route of the California Trail branched from the Oregon Trail west of Fort Hall, as immigrants went on forward going southwestward into present-day Nevada , then down along the Humboldt River to the Sierra Nevada . The California Trail came into heavy use after

3872-409: The eastern United States that followed the Santa Fe Trail to New Mexico during the California Gold Rush . Unlike the more northern routes, pioneer wagons could travel this route year-round, as the mountain passes were not blocked by snows. But, the trail had the disadvantage of high summer heat and lack of water in the desert regions of New Mexico Territory and the Colorado Desert of California. It

3960-419: The emigrant trails on modern highways through the use of byway signs across the western states. Pioneers across what became the Western United States in the 19th century had the choice of several routes. Some of the earliest were those of the Mexicans in the southwest. American trade with Northern Mexico created the Santa Fe Trail between St. Louis and Santa Fe following an 18th-century route pioneered by

4048-440: The emigrants who attempted the crossing continent, died during the trip, most from infectious disease such as cholera , spread by poor sanitation: with thousands traveling along or near the same watercourses each summer, downstream travelers were susceptible to ingesting upstream wastewater including bodily waste. Hostile confrontations with Native Americans , although often feared by the settlers, were comparatively rare, prior to

4136-413: The entire Oregon Trail in a covered wagon took from four to six months, following a winding trail 2,000 miles (3,200 km) through prairies, deserts, and across mountains to the Pacific Northwest . The journey was a severe test of strength and endurance so travelers often joined wagon trains traveling about 12–15 miles (19–24 km) per day. Settlers often had to cross flooded rivers. Indians attacked

4224-413: The forces of Rio Abajo (the lower Rio Grande, or southern New Mexico) led by Manuel Armijo . The Republic of Texas competed with Mexico in claiming Santa Fe, as part of the territory north and east of the Rio Grande which both nations claimed following Texas's secession from Mexico in 1836. In 1841, a small military and trading expedition departed from Austin, Texas , for Santa Fe. They represented

4312-441: The forces of Rio Arriba (the upper Rio Grande , i.e., northern New Mexico) rebelled against Pérez's enforcement of the recent Mexican constitution, new revenue laws taxing Santa Fe commerce and entertainment, and the large grants of New Mexico land to wealthy Mexicans. New Mexicans appreciated the relative freedoms of a frontier, remote from Mexico City. The rebels defeated and executed governor Albino Perez, but were later ousted by

4400-401: The full widths of Nebraska and Wyoming , and crossed the continental divide south of the Wind River Range through South Pass in southwestern Wyoming. The most common vehicle for Oregon and California-bound pioneers was a covered wagon pulled by a team of oxen or mules (which were greatly preferred for their endurance and strength over horses ) in the dry semi-arid terrain common to

4488-467: The goldfields. With the passes of the Sierras and the Rocky Mountains blocked in winter, another winter route, the Mormon Road between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles was developed by a Mormon expedition from their new settlements at and around Salt Lake City, and by some Mormon Battalion soldiers returning to Utah in 1847–1848. The first significant use of the route was by parties of Forty-Niners late in 1849, and by some Mormon trains, to avoid crossing

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4576-399: The governments in the Mexican provinces of New Mexico and Chihuahua and returning half of the spoils to the Republic of Texas . Houston agreed, provided the operation be conducted under the strictest secrecy. He commissioned Warfield as a colonel, who attempted to raise volunteers in Texas, St. Louis, Missouri; and the southern Rockies for a Warfield Expedition. He recruited John McDaniel and

4664-576: The governor retreated. Following this battle, many Americans resigned and Snively's force was reduced to little over 100 men. Snively planned to plunder Mexican merchant caravans on territory claimed by Texas, in retaliation for recent Texian executions and Mexican invasions, but his battalion was quickly arrested and disarmed by the US troops escorting the caravans. After disarming these men, Captain Philip St. George Cooke allowed them to return to Texas. In 1863, while railroad legislation underwent continual revisions, entrepreneurs grew more interested in

4752-403: The high plains in the heat of summer. This heat could cause the wagons to catch on fire. People would form groups of wagons known as wagon trains. In later years, following the advice of Brigham Young, many Mormon emigrants made the crossing to Utah with handcarts . For all pioneers, the scarcity of potable water and fuel for fires was a common brutal challenge on the trip, which was exacerbated by

4840-453: The livestock could get spooked. Rattlesnakes often posed a threat, and many people died due to snakebites. The caravan size increased later on to prevent Indian raids. The travelers also harnessed more oxen instead of mules—primarily for the greater hauling power of oxen but also because they were less valued by Indians and thus less risk of being raided. Segments of this trail in Missouri , Kansas , Oklahoma , and New Mexico are listed on

4928-441: The murder of Chávez, Warfield began limited military hostilities in the region using recruits from the southern Rockies. He made an unprovoked attack on Mexican troops outside Mora, New Mexico , leaving five dead. Warfield lost his horses after an encounter in Wagon Mound , where the Mexican forces had made chase. After Warfield's men reached Bent's Fort on foot, they disbanded. In February 1843, Colonel Jacob Snively had received

5016-406: The next few decades. In 1848, when news of the California Gold Rush reached the Willamette Valley, many settlers including Jesse and Lindsay Applegate left Oregon for the gold fields and used the trail to reach northern California. On August 3, 1992, the Applegate Trail became a National Historic Trail as part of the California National Historic Trail . The Nevada section of the trail is listed on

5104-415: The northwestern corner of Comancheria, the territory of the Comanche, who demanded compensation for granting passage to the trail, and represented another market for American traders. Comanche raiding farther south in Mexico isolated New Mexico, making it more dependent on the American trade, and provided the Comanche with a steady supply of horses for sale. By the 1840s, trail traffic along the Arkansas Valley

5192-419: The opportunity to hold free land used wagon trains to follow various emigrant trails that branched off to points west. The political philosophy of manifest destiny , the idea that the U.S. should extend from one coast to another, dominated national political discussions. The trail connected interior port cities along the Mississippi and Missouri and their wagon train outfitters to western destinations. The trail

5280-409: The road ran to the Yuma Crossing into California and on to Los Angeles . This route became the Southern Emigrant Trail . From Los Angeles the goldfields could be reached by land over the two routes north, the old El Camino Viejo or by what became the Stockton – Los Angeles Road . During the Gold Rush era it was these routes by which many herds of sheep and cattle were driven to California and

5368-488: The road split to run either northwest to Los Angeles or west southwest to San Diego . From either of these towns, the traveler could continue north by land to the goldfields on the coast, via the El Camino Real , or over the Tejon Pass into the San Joaquin Valley by what would become the Stockton – Los Angeles Road or El Camino Viejo . Alternatively, they could take ships to San Francisco from San Diego or San Pedro . Santa Fe Trail The Santa Fe Trail

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5456-408: The road west, the Mormon Pioneer Trail. The trail started in Nauvoo, Illinois, traveled across Iowa, connected with the Great Platte River Road at the Missouri River, and ended near the Great Salt Lake in Utah. Generally following pre-existing routes, the trail carried tens of thousands of Mormons to a new home and refuge in the Great Basin. From their labors arose the State of Deseret , later to become

5544-431: The second half of the 18th century. It was later used extensively by people from the United States in the 19th century after the Louisiana Purchase . Traders and settlers crossed the southwest of North America by the route connecting Independence, Missouri , with Santa Fe, New Mexico . Its major market in Missouri was St. Louis , with its port on the Mississippi River. In 1719, the French officer Claude Charles Du Tisne

5632-602: The short amount of time needed to reach the Pacific Coast . Rumors about how the sun always shone there and wheat grew as tall as a man attracted American settlers. The journey to the west was pleasant, but there were dangers and challenges along the route. There were diseases: cholera, measles, smallpox, and dysentery. Children were crushed under the covered wagon wheels, people drowned in rivers, were lost, starved, killed by Native Americans (very few settlers), froze to death, trampled by buffalo, or shot by accident. With these accidents, many settlers died. About 20,000 to 30,000 died on

5720-446: The snow bound Sierra Nevada Mountains by linking up with the Old Spanish Trail in southern Utah and closely following it, with alterations to the route of the mule trails only to allow wagons to traverse it for the first time. Soon afterward it was the route Mormon settlers followed to southwestern Utah, a mission in Las Vegas and a settlement in San Bernardino, California . This wagon route, also called by some of its early travelers

5808-409: The south was the Mormon Trail from Nauvoo , Illinois to Salt Lake City , Utah Territory . During the twenty-five years 1841–1866, 250,000 to 650,000 people "pulled up stakes," and headed west along these trails. About one-third immigrated to Oregon, one-third to California and one-third to Utah, Colorado, and Montana. Although it is often stated that the Northern trails began in certain cities on

5896-423: The ticket price as part of the purchase price if a sale was concluded. The railroad's sale of its land granted by congress fostered growth of new towns and businesses along its route, which generated railway traffic and revenues. With this financial base, the railway extended west, gradually adding new connections through rougher west country along the western Trail. With the development of rail transport, traffic on

5984-401: The town of Lyons . West of Lyons the trail followed nearly the route of present-day Highway 56 to Great Bend . Ruts in the earth made from the trail are still visible in several locations (Ralph's Ruts are visible in aerial photos at ( 38°21′35″N 98°25′20″W  /  38.35959264°N 98.42225502°W  / 38.35959264; -98.42225502 ). At Great Bend, the trail encountered

6072-496: The trails pioneered by fur traders, the Oregon Trail from Independence , Missouri to the Oregon Territory developed crossing the central Great Plains , Rocky Mountains and northern Great Basin . People followed this trail to take advantage of the fertile land the government gave out. Branching off from that route, some pioneers traveled southwestward on the California Trail from Fort Hall , Oregon Territory to Sutters Fort , in Mexican Alta California. Also branching off to

6160-518: The wagon trains; however, of the 10,000 deaths that occurred from 1835 to 1855, only 4 percent resulted from Indian attacks. Cholera, smallpox, and firearms accidents were the chief causes of death on the trail. Food, water, and wood were always scarce, and the settlers often encountered contaminated water holes. During summer, the trail was crowded with wagon trains, army units, missionaries, hunting parties, traders, and even sightseeing tours. Some settlers complained that they sometimes had to start early in

6248-446: The western border of Kansas. It enters Colorado, cutting across the southeast corner of the state before entering New Mexico. The section of the trail between Independence and Olathe was also used by immigrants on the California and Oregon Trails, which branched off to the northwest near Gardner, Kansas . From Olathe, the trail passed through the towns of Baldwin City , Burlingame , and Council Grove , then swung west of McPherson to

6336-413: The wide ranging temperature changes common to the mountain highlands and high plains where a daylight reading in the eighties or nineties can drop precipitously to a frigid seeming nighttime temperature in the low 40s. In many treeless areas, buffalo chips were the most common source of fuel. During the Mexican–American War , the wagon to California road known as Cooke's Wagon Road , or Sonora Road ,

6424-558: Was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri , with Santa Fe, New Mexico . Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell , who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River , the trail served as a vital commercial highway until 1880, when the railroad arrived in Santa Fe. Santa Fe was near the end of El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro which carried trade from Mexico City . The trail

6512-427: Was a 19th-century transportation route through central North America that connected Independence, Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, it served as a vital commercial highway until the introduction of the railroad to Santa Fe in 1880. Santa Fe was near the end of the El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro which carried trade from Mexico City. The route skirted the northern edge and crossed

6600-482: Was and is continental: very hot and dry summers, coupled with long and bitterly cold winters. Fresh water was scarce, and the high steppe-like plains are nearly treeless. Water flows in the Pecos, Arkansas, Cimarron, and Canadian rivers that drain the region vary by 90 or more percent in their flows during an average year. Also on this trail, unlike the Oregon Trail , there was a serious danger of Indian attacks, for neither

6688-679: Was built across Nuevo Mexico , Sonora and Alta California from Santa Fe, New Mexico to San Diego . It crossed what was then the northernmost part of Mexico. During the California Gold Rush the routes to California used were increased by the Siskiyou Trail from Oregon. In the south, the forty-niners used the Cooke Wagon Road, until some found a short cut, the Tucson Cutoff . This route, not closed to travel in winter, permitted travelers coming to New Mexico Territory on

6776-452: Was captured by governor Armijo's Mexican army under less than honest negotiations. They were subjected to harsh and austere treatment during a tortuous forced march to Mexico City, where they were tried, convicted and imprisoned for their insurgent activities. In 1842, Colonel William A. Christy wrote Sam Houston , president of Texas, requesting support for an overthrow scheme by Charles Warfield dependent on armed forces. He proposed deposing

6864-545: Was close in proximity to the River Platte—along which the eastern trails ascend to South Pass above Fort Laramie. ) The trails from these cities (and several others) converged in the mostly empty flatlands of central Nebraska near present-day Kearney , in the vicinity of Fort Kearney . From their confluence there the combined trails followed in succession the Platte , North Platte , and Sweetwater rivers westward across

6952-560: Was generally very hazardous because it had very little water. In fact, the Cimarron River was one of the only sources of water along this branch of the trail. From Watrous, the reunited branches continued southward to Santa Fe. Part of this route has been designated a National Scenic Byway . Travelers faced many hardships along the Santa Fe Trail. The trail was a challenging 900 miles (1,400 km) of dangerous plains, hot deserts, and steep and rocky mountains. The natural weather

7040-570: Was later incorporated into parts of the National Old Trails Road and U.S. Route 66 . The route skirted the northern edge and crossed the north-western corner of Comancheria , the territory of the Comanche . Realizing the value, they demanded compensation for granting passage to the trail. American traders envisioned them as another market. Comanche raiding farther south in Mexico isolated New Mexico, making it more dependent on

7128-423: Was reportedly unaware of the crime. McDaniel and one accomplice were tried, convicted and executed. Other participating suspects arrested by the U.S. were convicted and imprisoned. The newspapers reported that Americans and Mexicans were outraged by the crime. Local merchants and citizens at the U.S. end of the Santa Fe Trail demanded justice and a return to the stable commerce which their economy depended on. After

7216-560: Was so heavy that bison herds could not reach important seasonal grazing land, contributing to their collapse which in turn hastened the decline of Comanche power in the region. The trail was used as the 1846 U.S. invasion route of New Mexico during the Mexican–American War. After the U.S. acquisition of the Southwest ending the Mexican–American War, the trail helped open the region to U.S. economic development and settlement, playing

7304-485: Was sold to the United States in 1803 (Louisiana Purchase), Americans improved and publicized the Santa Fe Trail beginning in 1822, in order to take advantage of new trade opportunities with Mexico which had just won independence from Spain in the Mexican War of Independence . Manufactured goods were hauled from Missouri to Santa Fe, which was then in the northern Mexican state of Nuevo Mexico . Settlers seeking

7392-924: Was tasked by French authorities to establish a route to trade with the Spanish colony of Santa Fe in New Mexico. This first expedition, which started in Kaskaskia, Illinois , failed, as it was stopped by Indian tribes in Kansas. Then, at the time of the Louisiana regime, under French and then Spanish sovereignty, the French traders Pierre Antoine and Paul Mallet made a first trip in 1739 and 1740, starting also from Kaskaskia, Illinois , reaching Santa Fe and returning. They made other expeditions in 1741 and 1750, which faced various challenges from Indians and Spaniards. Then,

7480-559: Was the only practical way for settlers in wagons without tools, livestock, or supplies to cross the mountains and usually thought critical to the settlement of the American West. Some of the first to travel the Oregon Trail were Christian missionaries, members of the Methodist Episcopal Church who established the Methodist Mission in 1834. Even though they didn't make many converts, they were impressed by

7568-558: Was used anyway as a route of travel and commerce between the eastern United States and California. In addition, ranchers drove many herds of cattle and sheep along this route to new markets. The San Antonio–San Diego Mail Line , operating in 1857–1858, largely followed this route, as did the Butterfield Overland Mail from 1858–1861. Tied in with the Santa Fe Trail and the San Antonio–El Paso Road , by

7656-640: Was used for more than 20 years after the Mormons used it and has been reserved for sightseeing. The initial movement of the Mormons from Nauvoo, Illinois to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake occurred in two segments: one in 1846 and one in 1847. The first segment, across Iowa to the Missouri River, covered around 265 miles. The second segment, from the Missouri River to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake, covered about 1,032 miles. From 1846 to 1869, more than 4,600 Mormons died traveling along an integral part of

7744-454: Was used to carry products from the central plains to the trail head towns St. Joseph and Independence, Missouri . In the 1820s–1830s, it was also sporadically important in the reverse trade, used by traders to transport foods and supplies to the fur trappers and mountain men opening the remote Northwest, especially in the interior Northwest: Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and Montana. A mule trail (trapper's trails) led to points north to supply

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