Santa Fe Trail The Santa Fe Trail was one of the longest routes in the United States in the prerail- road era. It was about nine-hundred or so miles long. The original eastern terminus was Franklin, Missouri, but later the town was destroyed by a massive flood and the terminus was changed to Independence, Missouri which is farther west. The trail for most Americans ended in La Villa Real de Santa Fe de San Francisco de Asis,

Manifest Destiny
MANIFEST DESTINY Manifest Destiny took place in the US in the mid-1800. Manifest Destiny was used among the Americans in the 1840’s as a defense for U.S. territorial expansion. It ...

Mexico which in present day is Santa Fe, New Mexico. These trading posts were selected because it was much easier and cheaper for northern Mexico to trade with Missourians than to freight manufactured goods up from Mexico City. The original purpose of this trail was to serve as a trade route between the United States and Mexico. Because Missouri was a new state, gold and silver were needed to help out their economy. Early travelers transported goods

Chisholm Trail
Chisholm Trail When the railroads moved west to the Great Plains, the "Cattle Boom" began. Southern Texas became a major ranching ...

by packhorses. William Becknell was the first to follow this route and he is the one known that opened the trail. After that, traders took wagons to Santa Fe in exchange for burros, furs, gold, horses and silver. Because there were so many users of