Artifact of the Week 20250314 - Santa Fe Trail

Motivated by a need for gold and silver coins to pay off his debts, William Becknell set out to reach Santa Fe in the New Mexico region of Mexico. He knew the journey would be difficult and possibly dangerous, but he also knew it could be very lucrative when trading became possible after Mexico won its independence from Spain. Following the rivers that led west from his home in Missouri and following the natural shape and contours of the landscape, Becknell made his way more than 900 miles across what is today Kansas, through parts of Southern Colorado, over Raton Pass, and down the edge of the mountains to Santa Fe. His bet paid off, and over the next four years, he made two more trips from Missouri to Santa Fe. Word of the profits he was able to realize spread, and soon, more and more people were willing to risk it all to get in on this new economic opportunity. Here is your opportunity to learn more about William Becknell and the Santa Fe Trail. There are two books mentioned in this story. The first is Commerce of the Prairies by Josiah Gregg. You can get this book, based on Greggs’ journals and nine years of experience traveling the SFT and working as a merchant in Santa Fe by following this link. https://store.philmontscoutranch.org/... The second book is the diary of Susan Shelby Magoffin, the first American woman to travel on the Santa Fe Trail. https://www.amazon.com/Down-Santa-Tra...