The Santa Fe Trail : its history, legends, and lore / David Dary.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dary, David.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Santa Fe National Historic Trail--History.

Physical Description:

xii, 368 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : A.A. Knopf : Distributed by Random House, [2000]

Summary:

From 1610, when the Spanish founded the city of Santa Fe, to the 1860s, when the railroad brought unprecedented changes: here is the full, fascinating story of the great Santa Fe Trail which ran between Missouri and Kansas and New Mexico -- a lifeline to and from the Southwest for more than two centuries.

Drawing from letters, journals, expedition reports, business records, and newspaper stories, David Dary -- one of our foremost historians of the Old West -- brings to life the people who laid down the trail and opened commerce with Spanish America: Native Americans and mountain men, traders, trappers, and freighters, surveyors and soldiers, men and women of many different nationalities. Their firsthand accounts let us experience up close the spectacular scenery; the details of camping out in both friendly and hostile Indian territory; the constant danger from natural disasters or sudden attack; the hardworking, often maverick men who were employed on the wagon trains; the pleasures and entertainments at the southern end of the journey.

The book makes clear how in the early years trade started and stopped at the whim of the Spanish, and how the trail finally grew and prospered, bringing the settlement of new towns and the creation of new wealth along the route. We also learn how the rapid spread of the railroads across the country inexorably replaced the long caravans of mule- and ox-drawn wagons, and the way of life they represented.

With his comprehensive knowledge and his exceptional storytelling skills, David Dary has given us a vivid re-creation of an important time and place in American history.

Contents:

1 From Conquest to de Onate, 1492-1610 3

2 The Attraction of Santa Fe, 1610-1762 23

3 Trails to Santa Fe, 1762-1807 36

4 Destination Santa Fe, 1807-1822 55

5 The Santa Fe Trail, 1822-1825 74

6 Surveying the Road to Santa Fe, 1825-1827 93

7 The Business of Trade, 1821-1829 107

8 The Growth of Trade, 1830-1835 123

9 Over the Trail, 1835-1840 146

10 Years of Change, 1840-1845 166

11 The Mexican War and the Santa Fe Trade, 1846-1848 184

12 Forts, Emigrants, and Freighting, 1849-1852 208

13 New Tensions and Trade, 1853-1860 228

14 The Civil War, 1861-1865 254

15 The Slow Death of the Trail, 1866-1880 277

16 The Legacy of the Trail, 1880-2000 293.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 341-354) and index.

ISBN:

0375403612

OCLC:

43481755