Santa Fe Trail (2)
Inscription
William Becknell, the first Santa Fe Trail trader, entered Santa Fe in 1821 after Mexico became independent from Spain and opened its frontier to foreign traders. The Mountain Branch over Raton Pass divided here. One fork turned west to Cimarron, the south and joined a more direct route at Rayado. The difficulty of bringing caravans over rocky and mountainous Raton Pass kept most wagon traffic on the Cimarron Cutoff of the Santa Fe Trail until the 1840s.
Afterwards, the Mountain Branch, which here approaches Raton Pass, became more popular with traders, immigrants, gold-seekers, and government supply trains.
Location
Sources
More markers in Union
Clayton (2)
Clayton Population—2968 Elevation—4969 ft. Trade caravans and homesteaders traveling the Cimarron Cutoff of the Santa Fe Trail passed...
Folsom Archaeological Site
Near here an African-American cowboy, George McJunkin, discovered a spear point between the ribs of an extinct species of bison (Bison...
Mc Nees Crossing
Here the Santa Fe Trail crossed the North Canadian River.
New Goodnight Trail
Charles Goodnight, the great Texas cattleman, used the Trinchera Pass branch of the Goodnight-Loving Trail until 1875.
New Mexico Boys School
Established 1903 by the 35th Legislative Assembly.