Santa Fe Trail and Fort Larned

Everyone Needs Something

The Santa Fe Trail started in 1821 because people in New Mexico needed trade goods that people in the United States had. A Missouri trader named William Becknell took some cotton cloth and finished products to Santa Fe New Mexico. He brought back gold and silver, wool cloth and mules. When other traders saw how much money he made they also began taking trade goods to Santa Fe.

Becknell was the first American to make the trip, but not the first white person. He followed trails used by American Indians, and Spanish and French explorers. The Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez was the first European to lead an expedition across the Great Plains.

After the American traders began coming to New Mexico, Mexican traders in Santa Fe started making their own trips on the trail in the other direction to sell their goods. By the 1850's the majority of traders on the trail were Hispanic.

Trading can be Risky

Whichever way you were traveling on the trail it was a long, hard trip. Yes, traders could make a lot of money, but they could also lose all their money. Or even die. Thunderstorms and hot summers on the prairie made the trip difficult for both men and animals. Running out of food and water was another problem. One Santa Fe Trail traveler, Hezekiah Brake, wrote in 1858, "I wondered, too, if the breezes that swept this high table-land, could speak, what tales of snowstorms, of sand storms, of freezing and starving cattle, or perishing men, it would whisper in our ears."

Indian attacks were also common. The trail went through the home of several Plains Indians tribes. These tribes included the Kiowa Apache, Comanche, Arapaho and Cheyenne. Indians often attacked the wagon trains, taking supplies and horses. Indians also attacked to try and stop travel on the trail. Trail travelers scared away game, cut down trees and dirtied water supplies the Indians used. The more people traveled the trail, the more Indians attacked them.

Let the U.S. Army Help

The U.S. Army stepped in to help protect trail travelers. They built military posts like Fort Larned to protect the travelers. Each fort was close enough to provide protection over most of the trail. Fort Zarah to the northeast and Fort Dodge to the southwest were the two forts closest to Larned on the trail.

Troops from Fort Larned patrolled the trail for 70 miles in either direction from the fort. All of the forts along the trail gave the army places where their troops could get supplies or rest while they were fighting Indians. These forts eventually allowed the U.S. Army to control all the territory in the Great Plains.

The Railroad Comes to Santa Fe

In 1872 the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad reached Santa Fe. Traders now shipped their goods by railroad because it was faster and cheaper. The last wagon train traveled the trail over a 100 years ago. Now, most of the trail is covered by new roads, cities and towns, and farm fields. Today 18 wheeler trucks and the railroads carry the goods across the United States that used to be transported by wagons.

There are still places you can see the original trail ruts. These deep grooves in the earth were made when thousands of wagons passed over the same place and wore away the soil. If you visit Fort Larned you can see some original trail ruts. They are about five miles from the fort. You can find out more about these trail ruts on our website.