-

-

|
- The
Topic:
- Santa
Fe Trail
|
- Easier - During
the 1800s, the Santa Fe Trail took people and goods
back and forth between Independence, Missouri and
Santa Fe, New Mexico. It took about 8 weeks to
travel on the trail. There were many dangers such
as storms and attacks from Indians and bandits.
When the railroad was built, it replaced the trail
in moving goods and supplies west.
-
- Harder - From the
1821 to 1880, the Santa Fe Trail was an important
travel route. Along with the Oregon and Chisholm
Trails, it is one of the 'big three' trails of
United States history. During its sixty years, the
Santa Fe Trail was mainly a commercial route. It
carried goods and promoted trade between what was
first the Southwestern Spanish Provinces, then
became independent Mexico, and later was a U.S.
territory.
-
- Before 1821, early American explorers and
mountain men made the trip to Santa Fe, pronounced
san tuh FAY, on horseback with small strings of
pack horses. Their route to this Spanish Provincial
capital followed a winding path of both Indian and
game trails. Under Spanish rule, open trading with
the United States was forbidden. However a few
goods were smuggled into Santa Fe to be traded
secretly.
-
- In 1821, Mexico gained independence from Spain
and trade barriers were removed. That same year,
William Becknell and four other men traveled from
Franklin, Missouri for a distance of 1,203 miles to
open trading between the US and Mexico in Santa Fe.
In the next twenty years, about 80 wagons and 150
people traveled the trail each year. Suspicion and
tension between the United States and Mexico
escalated and finally erupted into the
Mexican-American War in 1846. The Santa Fe Trail
carried soldiers and supplies to New Mexico and
beyond. The war ended in 1848 with the Treaty of
Guadalupe Hidalgo.
-
- Santa Fe then became part of US territory.
Military forts such as Fort Union, Fort Larned and
others were established along the trail to control
Indian conflicts and protect travelers. In the
1850's and 1860's, traffic on the Santa Fe Trail
burgeoned. The US Civil War again brought increased
military operations along the trail and led to the
decisive Union victory at Glorieta Pass, New
Mexico. By the late 1860's, more than 5,000 wagons
traveled the trail each year. Merchants pushed
enormous trains of freight wagons loaded with
manufactured goods westward. In Santa Fe these were
traded for burros, furs, gold, horses, and silver.
The 'Old Spanish Trail' was extended westward to
connect Santa Fe to Los Angeles. However the
completion of the railroad to Santa Fe in 1880
brought a swift abandonment. Today the Santa Fe
Trail route still has some 200 miles of visible
ruts and traces; witness to the long-gone traffic
and commerce.
-
- Interactive
Santa Fe Trail from Kansas
University
- http://history.cc.ukans.edu/heritage/research/sft/
and http://raven.cc.ukans.edu/heritage/research/sft/
- This comprehensive site provides a history of
the trail, information about present-day locations,
and lots, lots more.
- Related Websites:
- 2) History of Pawnee Rock State Historic Site
http://www.kshs.org/places/pawrhist.htm
- 3) Like a Ribbon across the Prairie . . .
http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/nebraska/gpng/santafe_trail.html
- 4) Santa Fe Trail http://www.ptsi.net/user/museum/santafe.html
- 5) Santa Fe Trail from Kansas Historic
Trails http://www.ukans.edu/heritage/owk/128/trails.html#santa
- 6) Santa Fe Trail from Kaw Mission State
Historic Site (Kansas)
- http://www.kshs.org/places/kawmission/eurosantafetrail.htm
- 7) Santa Fe Trail History http://www.ukans.edu/heritage/trails/sfthist.html
-
- Santa
Fe National Historic Trail from National
Park Service
- http://www.nps.gov/safe/fnl-sft/webvc/vchome2.htm
- Start your tour of the historic trail here with
a brief interpretative history, maps and photos,
and more.
- Related Websites:
- 2) National Historic Trails - Santa Fe National
Historic Trail from GORP
- http://www.gorp.com/gorp/resource/us_trail/santafe.htm
- 3) Prairie Highway - Santa Fe Trail http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/nebraska/gpng/sftrail_prairie_highway.html
- 4) Santa Fe National Historic Trail
Brochure
- http://www.nps.gov/safe/fnl-sft/broch/newbro.htm
- 5) Santa Fe Trail http://sangres.com/sftrailmap.htm
-
- Santa
Fe Trail Net
- http://www.nmhu.edu/research/sftrail/
- The site of the Santa Fe Trails Association
provides a collection of historic documents, maps
and photos, plus a few links to other sites.
- Related Website:
- 2) Santa Fe Trail Association http://www.santafetrail.org/
-
- Santa
Fe Trail Research Site
- http://www.stjohnks.net/santafetrail/
- Here you can find out about the wet and dry
routes of the Santa Fe Trail in the state of
Kansas.
- Not-To-Be-Missed Section:
- 2) Mileage Charts
- http://www.stjohnks.net/santafetrail/mileagecharts/amileagechartlinks.html
-

- After visiting several of the
websites, complete one or more of the
following projects.
-
- Send A Santa Fe eCard. Send an
eCard to someone telling them three
things: (1) something you already knew
about the Santa Fe Trail, (2) something
you recently learned, and (3) something
you would like to learn more about . Go to
Santa
Fe Trail On-Line eCards to send your
message.
-
- Compare/Contrast Santa Fe Trail and
Oregon Trail. The two main overland
routes in US westward expansion were the
Oregon and Santa Fe Trails. Using a
spreadsheet or graphics software, detail
the ways in which the two trails were
alike and different. An alternate activity
would be to compare and contrast the Santa
Fe Trail to the Chisholm Trail. You can
find information about the Chishom Trail
at another 42explore project,
Old
West . Go to 42eXplore's
Oregon
Trail for lots of online resources
about that route.
-
- Complete A Santa Fe Trail
WebQuest. Follow or adapt the
instructions found at the following
webQuest sites:
- 1) Santa Fe Trail in Kansas WebQuest
http://learning.usd383.org/santafe/student.htm
- 2) Trekking the Santa Fe Trail
http://education.nmsu.edu/webquest/wq/sft/sftrail.htm
-
- Write A Santa Fe Trail Journal.
Pretend that you are part of a wagon train
headed for Santa Fe with a load of goods.
Create a journal of your imagined
experiences for at least two weeks of the
journey. Use the website information to
make your entries as historically accurate
as possible. You can also include
sketches.
-
- What Is The Best Way To Retrace The
Santa Fe Trail? Map out your pathway.
Plan your rest stops, select your mode of
transportation, and calculate what
supplies you will need. Estimate how much
time your journey will take and itemize
your extimated costs. Decide between the
northern Mountain Fork or the Cimarron
Cutoff. Your goal should be to make the
most economical trip possible and still
arrive safely, comfortably, and
rested.
|
- Websites By Kids For Kids
- Santa
Fe Trail from St. George
Elementary
- http://www.rockcreek.k12.ks.us/sg/broncs/westho/Trisoe.htm
- This brief student project site provides a map
and description of the trail.
-
- More Websites for the Santa Fe
Trail
- Advice
to Emmigrants
- http://learning.usd383.org/santafe/resources/advice.htm
- This brief site houses an historic document
giving advice to travelers.
- Related Website:
- 2) American Pioneers: Life on the Trail
http://www.selah.k12.wa.us/SOAR/Projects2000/PioneerWeb/trail.html
-
- Bent's
Old Fort National Historic Park from
National Park Service
- http://www.nps.gov/beol/home.htm
- For much of its 16-year history, the fort was
the only major permanent white settlement on the
Santa Fe Trail between Missouri and the Mexican
settlements.
- Related Website:
- 2) Photos of Bent's Old Fort National Historic
Site http://www.homestead.com/bentsoldfort/index.html
-
- Fort
Larned National Historic Site from
National Park Service
- http://www.nps.gov/fols/home.html
- 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
Fort Wise Treaty of 1861.
- Related Website:
- 2) Virtual Tour of Fort Larned http://www.nps.gov/fols/Virtual_Tour/body_virtual_tour.html
-
- Fort
Union National Monument: An Administrative
History from National Park
Service
- http://www.nps.gov/foun/adhi/adhi.htm
- In 1851, Lt. Col. Edwin V. Sumner decided to
establish Fort Union at the junction of the two
branches of the Santa Fe Trail in order to provide
more effective protection for the region.
- Related Websites:
- 2) History of Fort Union by T.J. Sperry &
H.C. Myers
- http://raven.cc.ukans.edu/heritage/research/sft/ft-union.htm
- 3) Santa Fe Trail and Fort Union by D. Sedivy
from Highlands Ranch High School, CO
- http://members.tripod.com/~mr_sedivy/colorado8.html
-
- Santa
Fe Trail
- http://klesinger.com/jbp/sfetrail.html
- Here is a timeline on the history of the Santa
Fe Trail.
-
- Santa
Fe Trail Center at Larned, Kansas
- http://www.larned.net/trailctr/
- This is the website of a regional museum
telling the story of the geographic area once known
as the Santa Fe Trail, a transportation route
blended Indian, Spanish, and American
cultures.
-
- Santa
Fe Trail Map
- http://www.powerplace.com/sftrail.html
- Here is a historic map of the Santa Fe
Trail.
- Related Website:
- 2) Santa Fe Trail (Map-links and more)
http://www.titchenal.com/trails/sftrail/index.html
-
- Santa
Fe Trail Report
- http://kuhttp.cc.ukans.edu/carrie/kancoll/books/sftrail/sfmain.html
- This 1912 report focuses on the correct route
of the Santa Fe Trail through Kansas.
- Related Website:
- 2) Points of Interest Along the Santa Fe Trail
http://www.lasr.net/leisure/kansas/poisft.html
-
- Santa
Fe Trail Scenic Byway from Northeast New
Mexico
- http://nenewmexico.com/tours/santafe_trail.html
- This regional site provides information and
history on the Santa Fe Trail.
-
- William
Becknell & The Santa Fe Trail from
Bicknell Family Home Page
- http://www.bicknell.net/sftrail.htm
- Learn about Captain William Becknell, who has
been called 'Father of the Santa Fe Trail.'
- Other Websites for William
Becknell:
- 2) Becknell's Formation of a Trading Company
http://www.nmhu.edu/research/sftrail/trade.htm
- 3) Becknell Letters http://www.xmission.com/~drudy/mtman/html/becknell.html
- 4) Diary of William Becknell http://www.nmhu.edu/research/sftrail/becknell.htm
- 5) William Becknell from New Mexico
History
- http://www.cia-g.com/~rockets/dNMhist.wbecknell.htm
-
- Websites For Teachers
- Americans
Move West: The Santa Fe Trail (Grades 6-8)
by L. Arnett from Denver Public Schools
- http://www.denver.k12.co.us/programs/almaproject/pdf/AmericansMoveWest.pdf
- This is the site of an extensive unit plan on
the Santa Fe Trail.
-
- Life
Along the Santa Fe Trail (Grades 4-6) by R.
DesCombes
- http://trails.kcmsd.k12.mo.us/Pdfs/LessonPlans/Kcmsd/Descombes.pdf
- Here is a unit plan for study of Santa Fe
Trail.
- Related Lesson Plan Site:
- 2) Along the Santa Fe Trail: Marion Russell's
Own Story (Grades 4-5) by L. Morrow
- http://www.cde.state.co.us/action/curric/pdf/sf_trail.pdf
- 3) Santa Fe Trail from Cobblestone
http://www.cobblestonepub.com/pages/compquest199005.html
-
- Santa
Fe Trails (Grades 4-8) from Trails
Project
- http://trails.kcmsd.k12.mo.us/sanfepdfs.htm
- This is the site of a large collection of
lesson plans (pdf) for study of the Santa Fe
Trail.
-

-
-
-
- Created by
Annette
Lamb and
Larry
Johnson,
5/02.
|