Santa Fe Trail, 1821: First Trail Into the West

RE-UPLOADED and edited because of KZbin's copyright policies.
This video is the first installment on a seven part mini-series about the trails leading into the American West. The Santa Fe trail was the first overland route into the west that utilized the iconic conestoga covered wagons. It was principly a commerce route traversed by merchants, mountain men, vaqueros, and homesteaders eager to make a profit in the Mexican markets at trail's end.
According to the wagon boss, Josiah Gregg, the year 2021 marks the 200th anniversary of the trail's inaugural passage west.

[@doorusthewalrus6903]

Sorry for all the lost comments! KZbin decided to flag my video for "unoriginal content." A few images and notes of music were changed.

[@swhip897]

Unoriginal content... hum. Turned out fine.

[@IAMSatisfied]

Thank you for creating & sharing this... it's well done & interesting. The Cimarron Route was not called a "cut-off" until sometime in the 1900s... it was known as "the Cimarron Route" by those who used the trail in the 1800s. The term "cut-off" makes it sound like it's an afterthought to the mountain route, but the opposite is true.... the Cimarron Route was the first established route and by far the most heavily traveled. William Becknell's first trek lead him through present day La Junta, Colorado, and from there he headed South through Emery Gap, next to present day Branson, Colorado, and from there he connected with the Cimarron River ~6 miles to the South (known locally as the Dry Cimarron). I've worked on several ranches in the area & know several of the pioneer families here. Raton is pronounced ra-TONE... Spanish for "rat", after the hoards of pack-rats that infested the pass. The rats were mentioned in diaries of the trail. An ancestor of mine is buried on one of the Juan Fernández islands, off the coast of Chile'... she had died on a voyage from the East coast of the U.S. to the West coast, a long journey around Cape Horn, a alternative to the rigors of the Oregon & California trails that the elderly or otherwise infirm had available to them. We, in this generation, have little idea of how cushy our lives are... privation, sacrifice & a reliance on God were the staple of many of our ancestors.

[@nobonespurs]

great post by you

[@carlosm4798]

My Lord! How brave were these men? Phenomenally so

[@TheArthead]

Just homeless with nowhere to go

[@herbschlubach]

I have fallen in love with your storytelling and sadly have already watched most of your videos. I hope to see more soon! Thank you for the interesting stories! ❤

[@Trav_Can]

I live near the Shawnee Mission. And it blows my mind the beginnings of the Santa Fe and Oregon trail are less than 100 feet from my house. I party in Westport sometimes. Wild history there. Kansas City is the real gateway to the west. Not St. Louis.

[@jj-eo7bj]

I use to live in kearney

[@carywest9256]

In Texas there is an old saying that goes: Dallas is where the East peters out and Ft. Worth is where the West begins. And if your driving on l-20 headed west from the Dallas County /Kaufman County line by the time you hit the Dallas/Tarrant County line the geography changes tremendously.

[@Trav_Can]

@@carywest9256 I'm familiar with that old Texas saying: Fool me once... shame on... shame on you? You fool me, I won't get fooled again.

[@carywest9256]

@@Trav_Can So are you from The Lone Star State?

[@adrian_21055]

​​@@carywest9256exactly. Starts just west of down town ft worth. Where comacheria started

[@tpe54]

I followed a large portion of the Santa Fe Trail [RT #50] on a bicycle tour from Buffalo New York to Santa Fe NM. It made me reflect on the perils they went thru. In Kearney County KN they have a stop off where you can see part of the wagon wheel ruts.

[@doorusthewalrus6903]

Epic!

[@wes326]

Hello from Omaha. They moved the soldiers from Fort Atkinson, north of Omaha, to Fort Leavenworth because of the increased traffic on the Santa Fe Trail. Thanks, I learned a lot.

[@TheMewiya]

Raton is pronounced "Ra.tone". Bents Fort area is about a hundred miles from the nearest mountain, altho Pikes Peak can be seen to the west depending on viewing point.

[@racketyjack7621]

Excellent commentary. Thoroughly enjoyed your narrative. Amazing piece of long forgotten history.

[@warhawk4494]

Amazing job! You deserve way more subscribers

[@_thomas1031]

Man, the production on these videos are great, subbed🙌🙌🙌🙌

[@BenSHammonds]

good program, William Becknell is buried not far from me on west side of Clarksville TX here in northeast TX, Davy Crockett was at his place and visited him for a time on his way into Texas on Dec 1835

[@beverlyks]

Just rewatched your video ... still love it!!! First watched it in the spring of 2022, just before my husband an I followed the whole route, taking the Cimmaron to Santa Fe and Raton Pass on our return journey. It was an amazing experience to walk in those historic spaces and actually see the wagon ruts! We were just talking about that road trip, and had to watch your video again! ... we're Canadians (living on Lake Superior just north of Minnesota) and really enjoyed our journey into history, helped (and reminded) by your video.

[@arailway8809]

Great work, Doorus.

[@GeographyCzar]

It always boggles my mind that there's no Kansas City (neither of them, actually) on these old maps. So, Kansas City didn't exist 200 years ago, but there was all this activity and many small towns scattered about the region! A history of where Kansas City came from would be interesting...

[@monstersdad67]

West Port was KC

[@StevenDietrich-k2w]

According to all of the pronunciation guides that I checked on the internet, they pronouce it as rah-tone, not ratton. Other than that small point, I really enjoyed your summary of the Santa Fe trail.

[@Sandbarfight]

Thank you

[@swhip897]

Glad you covered this. I always hear about the Oregon.✌

[@doorusthewalrus6903]

I'm doing a series on the westward leading trails. Santa Fe, Oregon, Mormon, California are done (need to re-edit the Oregon one). A new video on the Gila Trail will be out in a couple days.

[@STho205]

Great job

[@Eggo_waffles123]

good job

[@californiadreamin8423]

From across the pond, really enjoyed this video. Now where did I put my fiddle so I can play Arkansas Traveller !!

[@robertgiles9124]

In the very first drawing; the Ox Horns were sharp as spikes. Would they not have cut those down some or filed them just for safety? Seems working close to these animals might lead to dangerous opportunities.

[@LearnwithJanice]

Hello from Kansas 🇺🇸

[@dorianwolf2198]

Goodbye 😮

[@mfriestad]

Raton = Rah-tone

[@nobonespurs]

roll your Rs

[@pietkonijn5522]

I read somewhere that the Chouteau's from St. Louis were the first to journey towards Santa Fé ? (Chouteau's Island in the Arkansas were they held of a force of Arapaho)

[@rockinbeck881]

What source did you use for the sketch of William Becknell? How do you know it's a sketch of him?

[@allenantonio4389]

👍👍👍

[@nobonespurs]

Overall a great video - 1 drove over Raton pass (rah-tone as others said) at 7,800 ft is little higher than Monument hill to Denver) 2 images dont match dialogue. .

[@howardmunro5464]

May well have been easier routes than the Hastings Cutoff or the Routes through Donner Pass.

[@williamcrawford7982]

The west that would depend on the year,and where you were,ie new Jersey then Pennsylvania?,Pennsylvania then Ohio, Ohio then Illinois, just saying.

[@doorusthewalrus6903]

Very true. My preference for the beginning of the American "west" is the 100th Meridian, where the Great Plains begin.

[@jamescrawford988]

Raton pass NM is Spanish, Pronounced rat tone

[@nobonespurs]

no - its rah-tone with the R rolled

[@tomgrimes8379]

Rat-TONE Pass and Ar-KANSAS River.

[@GeraldMiller-mp8fc]

There never was a railroad in Santa Fe.

[@doorusthewalrus6903]

I believe it's called the Atchinson, Topeka, Santa Fe Railroad.

[@GeraldMiller-mp8fc]

@@doorusthewalrus6903 It is called this but ever went to Santa Fe

[@Cquoya]

Bullwacker,Lol