Gunnison news-champion., 1922-12-08
About the Oldtime
Overland Trail
The Santa Fe Trail-The Oregon Trail

The Santa Fe Trail-The Oregon Trail
Continued from Page Threel
important city in the whole region.
Santa Re Is a much shortened form OF
the original name, which Was a Spau-
Ish expression meaning: The Royal
City of the Holy Faith Of St Francis
Santa re is that part Of the original
name which ment Holy Faith, so San;a
Fe is sometimes called The Old City
Of the Holy Faith. Il almost gives u
. start when IL occurs 10 Us that III !,
old town, so long 1t the door of our
frontier, Is older than any pernaner,
English settlement in America. Il
was 2j years old when JamestovrB
was founded, and IS years old wher
the Pilgrim Fathers landed on Pr
mouth Rock. At yer! early da..
the Span4aTds had trail from SAINT
Re, across Arizona 10 San Diego ar
Los Angeles IN California. From
there 70 a place q little north of San
FraUclEco they had . road which con
ncctet their missions, and which thsy
called by 4 Spanish name, meaning
The Highway Of the King. IL is tho
tins name was gwen 20 do double hon
or, m { 10 the king Of kings, who
cross the padres wore, and Second, O.
the king Of Spain. whose viii tho
were following IN trying TO civilize IN
Indians. So much for the Santa i e.
Trail between Santa Fe and Frisco.
Coronado, lH the cpUrse Of
wondering, crossed the lire OF tn
Old Trail several times a. early a
lJ8l and he and his meu we're the iif
s. l.te men 70 gaze over the plain
crossed by Il 2sD years later.
In 1904 VIM. Morrison. 4 merchau.
OF kas'Zls si, H., sent Baptiste Lelaal
20 Santa Re with q small stock Of
goods 20 zee If he could open up q
trade Leland followed the Platte %
the mountains and the mountain
south 10 Santa Ee. lie sold the goo
At profit and liked II 30 well thcrc
that he stayed with the money.
Ia ls2i, or 1921 as Il is given som
times, party OF men from Nilsson ri
decided 20 take trainload of good
20 Santa Re. The venture was a suc-
cess from the first. In 1890 the anu
al trade amounted 70 $3.50, 900. In
1913, when Santa Ana closed all Me-
can places 20 American trade, IL
amounted to ST5O.OOO.
The route started at independent,
/ A0. and went in a southwesternly d.
recton TIL II struck the Great Bend Gf
/ the Arkansas near Ellinwood. From
there II followed the north bank Of
the river 10 a place about % miles
west of the present Dodge City, in
Ford County. where was the ford Of
[ the Arkansas. From there il was
more south over 60 miles of desert till
I il struck the Cimarron river. II fol-
lowed the north bank Of the CimarTnR
/ for about 20 miles across the south-
I west corner Of Colorado, then thru
[ part of Oklahoma and New Mexico 10
Santa Fe. IL was about 500 mile
long and a trip there and back would
be made each summer. The goods
were placed in great canyas-covered
wagons, each drawn BY several teams
of oxen or mules. They were ac-
companied by attendants and traders
and sometimes travellers. Each train,
a train was the wagons owned by
one man. had wagon boss. At camp
ing time he would take his stand
where the center of the camp was 10
be, and by motioning indicate TO the
drivers where to drive up so as to form
a large circle with the backs Of the
wagons out and the teams on the
inside. They would drive up close
together, thus forming corral of
wagons. The teams, if they were
mules, would be tied to the wagons
and fed; if oxen, they We're turned out
to Craze in care of herder. The
camp fires were made in the center.
At time TO break camp, the wagon
boss would call out: catch up!, catch
up!' As the drivers were ready, they
would answer: "All set! all setv
when all We're ready would come the
order: Stretch out!' and soon the