The Santa Fe Trail Center
Museum & Research Library
The Santa Fe Trail Center Museum & Research Library |
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Indoor Exhibits
Your visit to the Trail Center exhibits begins in our East Gallery with the prehistoric days of the Trail. Go back to the time when millions of buffalo covered the plains, and imagine what it was like for the Wichita Indians living in grass hunting lodges and pursuing the giant herds.
The great era of the Santa Fe Trail began in 1821, when Mexican independence from Spain opened up new trade opportunities for American and Mexican merchants. Pulled by oxen and mules, commercial freight wagon trains crossed the plains until the railroad arrived near Santa Fe in 1880.
Unlike the other great Western trails, the Santa Fe Trail was a two way route between two different countries: the United States and Mexico. By the early 1840's, the majority of private freight caravans were owned and operated by New Mexicans. The Mexican War ended the international days of the Trail, when New Mexico was added to the U.S. territory.
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