Over 200 Years Since the Santa Fe Trail Opened

 In 1821, the Santa Fe Trail was opened as a commercial route between Missouri and New Mexico by William Becknell and his party of five traders.  The famous “Commerce of the Prairies” developed and grew until the railroad reached Santa Fe in 1880.  The Trail was a route of conquest during the war with Mexico, 1846-1848, was the scene of significant Civil War actions, 1861-1865, and was in the middle of the Indian Wars of the 1860s and 1870s.  It provided a path for the settlement and change of the territory of the Louisiana Purchase.  Considered the most important commercial route across the Great Plains during the 19th Century, the Trail brought together a diverse mix of cultural groups.  The Santa Fe Trail 200th is a commemoration of a living part of the American experience connecting people in commerce, conflict and culture.  Today, the Santa Fe Trail remains crucial to American history in its many forms and provides an opportunity for education, engagement, awareness, exploration and discovery.

 Formed in 1986, the Santa Fe Trail Association seeks to preserve, protect and promote the rich heritage and physical remnants of this historic trail.  Join us as we commemorate the historical legacy of the Santa Fe Trail!

Honorary Chair Michael Martin Murphey!

 “I’m deeply honored to be chosen as the Honorary Chair of the Santa Fe Trail’s bicentennial commemoration,” said Murphey. “The story of the Santa Fe Trail is as essential to the American story as that of the Revolution. From the beginning, our fathers were looking West…. I am thrilled to be a spokesman for that story.”

 Through August 2022: “Trails, Rails, & Highways: How Trade Transformed the Art of Spanish New Mexico

EXHIBIT: Since prehistoric times, trails have traversed the broad landscape of New Mexico. Native American trails of the 12th century and earlier connected Chaco Canyon to Casas Grandes (Mexico) and Cahokia Mounds (Illinois). In 1680 trails connected the Rio Grande pueblos and enabled their runners to carry secret codes coordinating the Pueblo Revolt. From 1598 to 1821, goods from Spain’s vast empire traveled over the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro (Royal Road to the Interior) from central Mexico to the remote northern frontier. Starting in 1821 the Santa Fe Trail brought American and Mexican merchants face-to-face. The Spanish Trail was forged in 1829, establishing the road from Santa Fe to the Pacific. In 1880, the railroad opened the door to tourists, health-seekers, anthropologists, artists, and writers. And with the completion of Route 66 in 1926, automobile tourism began to flourish. Today, ‘cyber’ trails bring the world to our fingertips.  This exhibition, will be on display through        August 2022 at the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art, 750 Camino Lejo, Santa Fe, NM 87502-5378  (505) 982-2226 Admission charged.  Open 1 to 4:00 p.m. Thursdays – Saturday. Ticket Information at reservations@   spanishcolonial.org or visit: Trails, Rails, and Highways.

 Ronald Kil is an artist of the historical west.  His subject matter spans the centuries form prehistoric Indian hunters to the cowboys of the 1920’s.  Ron works in oil, watercolor and ink with sizes ranging from miniatures to murals. Ron created this painting in observance of the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Santa Fe Trail.