The Santa Fe Trail: Its History, Legends, and Lore

by David Dary

The life and lore of the American Southwest come vividly alive in this colorful chronicle of one of the nation's great roads--The Santa Fe Trail--founded by the Spanish in 1610 and lasting through Mexican-American conflicts, Indian Wars, and the arrival of the railroad. Reprint.

Genres: History, American History, Nonfiction, Westerns, 19th Century

384 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2000

Reviews

[Geevee · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable and rewarding account of the Sante Fe trail that covers the earliest days of Indians and their centuries old buffalo trails (briefly); the Spanish and Anglo/European Americans setting out to map and trade their way across America to stake claims and make fortunes, and on to the days of huge wagon trains and caravans owned by organised companies rolling over the plains protected by military forts.

Crossing the plains and rivers that stretch across the trail's route from Old Franklin and Independence to Santa Fe Mr Dary uses chapter divisions to describe the stages and periods of the trail and for me this approach worked well.

I found the detail of what the traders took to sell, how they organised their wagon trains and what value they realised financially really informative. Also the background to what wagons were used and why, and how they were built - including an odd contraption using sails - really added to the atmosphere and showed clearly the planning, costs and difficulty the trail presented to trader and customer alike.

These difficulties were both environmental and circumstantial. Environmental because of the rivers, rocks, water supplies and extreme weather all making life difficult and highly dangerous and circumstantially in so much as outsiders invading ancient hunting and tribal lands that evoked a violent reaction from the Indian tribes. Not all encounters were violent as trade and even help was offered to travellers but as the trail developed and people poured across and into their lands with attendant military support and forts being constructed it is clear to the modern reader that no other outcome could have happened.

The interactions and engagements with the Indians and the daily life on the trail is described in first-hand accounts and Mr Dary provides many for the reader. These cover the men and women who were trading, exploring and making for a new life in Santa Fe or more often further west. The richness of these provides detail to situations as well as biographic detail of people's backgrounds, age and reasons for coming to the trail and is major strength of the book.

The civil war period is also covered and stands importantly as a turning point for the trail: it led to its most intense period of use for commerce tonnage and ultimately drove the railroad expansion towards it that finally killed off the wagon trains with their oxen, tough traders and bullwhackers.

The book - my copy is a Penguin paperback dated 2002 - is well illustrated with contemporary black and white photos, maps and line drawings/sketches.

All in all I found the book a very informative read and now know more about the Santa Fe trail in terms of its history, legends and lore.

[Wayne Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting story of the Santa Fe trail though there is way too much "accounting" detail of the loads carried on the trail. The region that I know fairly well (New Mexico) had several minor errors so I imagine the entire work also has errors.
La Fonda hotel was built in 1922, not 1919.
Colonel Chivington was not in charge of the Battle of Glorieta, though he was the hero. He was a Major at the time and was not the commander of the Union troops.
The Santa Fe railroad never reached Santa Fe in 1880 or in any other year, though the citizens of the town did pay to build a spur to connect the the main line at Lamy, NM.
The Hermit didn't die at Hermit's Peak near Las Vegas, NM, but moved to the Organ Mountains outside Las Cruces, NM and was killed there.
The author says the Big Blue battle in Independence, MO is known at the Gettysburg of the West. That moniker actually belongs to the Battle of Glorieta Pass at Apache Canyon in New Mexico.

[Louis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was such a wasted opportunity. A subject full of drama in western history, the Santa Fe Trail represented a commercial and cultural lifeline for the growing American settlement in the West. This pathway was the scene of some dramatic encounters with the Native tribes of the Southwest as well. A fitting subject for a historical writer with a dramatic flair. Unfortunately, Dary is not that scribe. This is the result of falling too much in love with his volumes of research materials; he is loath to cut out anything or anyone. I find little satisfaction in reading long descriptions of characters who turn out to have little if any impact on the overall narrative but who Dary cannot bring himself to omit. That makes the narrative bog down and drag when it should flow, leaving the reader with a useful source of information for research for other western histories but little in the way of reading satisfaction. This is not how to write popular history at all.

[Harron68 · Rating 3 out of 5]

In depth, but long and repetitive in parts. I learned that until Calif gold strike of '49, Santa Fe Trail was mostly a path of commerce and trade. Very interesting the incredible amounts of merchandise and (returning East) gold and silver coins traveled. Also, it's easy to understand why the Indians attacked since they'd been pressed steadily westward by the immigrants intoconflict with other tribes for dwindling access to resources. Of interest is the strategy of Texas as it got independence and itself wanted to expand into what became New Mexico and Ariz.
I give it 3 stars for the length that made it a tough "road" in spots.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good review of the history of the Santa Fe Trail. A little hard to remember the early trains through to Santa Fe. They were very similar. The beginning and the ending were outstanding. I really liked hearing how the trains worked and how they changed everything.

[Jeffrey Hammes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice story of the Santa Fe Trail

Easy reading, interesting description of life in the old west and how the land and people evolved but centered on American predominance in expanding their “Manifest Destiny”.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great History

I love reading a book about a piece or place of history that I didn’t know existed. This is such a good book and it catches your heart as a part of American history that is little known or talked about today.

[Nora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. Clear writing style. I have gained an appreciation for the history of Missouri and Kansas as well as Santa Fe!

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was very interesting and not nearly as dry as I expected. Gives me some things to think about as I drive around the Southwest now!

[Revanth Ukkalam]

What! This book is both repetitive and so politically wrong!
Maybe teenage boys having a growth spurt will enjoy this expansionist masculinity.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite detailed and well documented with extensive notes and bibliography. There's a great deal I didn't know regarding the Santa Fe trail and David Dary has changed that by writing a very interesting and readable book on the subject. From Lawrence Kansas to Las Vegas, Taos, and Albuquerque NM this is an area of new interest and this book has tied it together for me. History, legends, and lore, indeed.

[Liam · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Council Grove merchant William F. Shamleffer remembered that the Old Pioneer Store owned by T.S. Huffaker sold $400,000 in merchandise during one two-year period in the early 1860s. Of that total, $12,000 was in whiskey sales, but during the same period the store sold only $15-40 worth of Bibles." (263)

[Christine Jeffords · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything you ever wanted to know (and lots of things you didn't *know* you wanted to know) about the first and longest-travelled of the great Western trails. Dary has also written on the Oregon Trail and on many aspects of Old West society, including (of course) cowboys.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Santa Fe Trail predated the Oregon Trail aand provided a means of trade between the US and Santa Fe in Mexico.