Lewis Garrard Unit Lesson Plans

"it was probable the country, from El Paso to El Valle de Taos, had revolted; and, as Bent’s Fort contained much of the value and was an important post, a Mexican expedition might well be expected.” - Lewis Garrard

NPS/D. Ocheltree

A seventeen year-old Lewis Garrard leaves Cincinnati to join a caravan traveling from Independence, MO to Santa Fe, NM in the fall of 1846. During ten months of travel along the Santa Fe Trail, he witnesses and records one of the most tense political conditions occurring on the U.S./Mexican border.

In "Wah-to-Yah," translated Spanish Peaks, Lewis Garrard provides a firsthand perspective of life along the Santa Fe Trail during the period when trading posts shaped American economic and political possibility. The lessons offered in this unit address cultural difference, kinship ties, entrepreneurial decision-making, class labor, national identity, trade goods, and international commerce.

Connected to Colorado academic standards, the lessons in this unit engage learners with introductory activities, group discussions, text response, academic and social/emotional extensions, and two-question exit tickets. Supporting resources and materials are also provided. We invite you to learn more about Bent's Fort directly from the people who visited. As a product of his time, a young Lewis Garrard gives voice to a young developing nation, one that re-envisions itself and its influence in the world.