The Old Santa Fe Trail

eason to change his objective point to Santa Fe, and instead of the tedious process of bartering with the Indians, to sell out his stock to the New Mexicans. Successful in

were thirty men, and the amount of money in the undertaking was the largest that had yet been ventured. The progress of the little caravan was without extraordinary incident, until it arrived at "The Caches" on the Upper Arkansas. There Becknell, who was in reality a man of the then "Frontier," bold, pluc

the remotest conception of the region through which their new trail was to lead them, and naturally supposing that water would be found in streams or springs, when they left the Arkansas they neglected to supply th

ntal condition bordering on distraction. To alleviate their acute torment, the dogs of the train were killed, and their blood, hot and sickening, eagerly swallowed; then the ears of the mules were cut off for the same purpose, but such a substitute for water only added to their sufferings. They would have perished had not a superannuated buffalo bull that had just co

ater, which but for the affair of the buffalo they never would ha

of the animal that had saved their lives to the river, where, filling all the canteens with pure wate

rther trouble, but missed the trail to Santa Fe, and had their journey greatl

pers and hunters, went out to the valley of the Upper Arkansas for the purpose of

in the Arkansas River on the boundary line of the United States and Mexico. It was a beautiful spot, wi

nees, whom they repulsed with the loss of thirty killed and wounded. These Indians afterward declared that it

stes of the primitive people; a very tedious and slow process, as may be inferred, and the limited traffic westwardly across the great plains was confined to this fashion. At the date of the legitimate and substantial commerce with New Mexico, in 1824, wheel

ly at Santa Fe. Once under the jurisdiction of the Mexicans, however, their trouble began. All the party were arrested as spies, their wares confiscated, and themselves incarcerated at Chihuahua, where the majority of them were kept for almost a decade. Beard and Chambers, having by some mea

he town of Cimarron, on the Santa Fe Railroad, is now situated, they were obliged to remain for more than three months, during which time most of their animals died for want of food and from the severe cold. When the weather had moderated sufficiently to allow them to proceed on their journey, they had no tra

y digging a hole in

jug, which is line

else that will pr

of the earth. In t

carefully stowed a

ually closed as t

hing, a great dea

no sign whereby th

of deposit. To this

ome distance and c

stream, if one be

che is usually so

ated to be secure

with grass, a soli

ough for the ent

k, and, taking roo

of its ever havi

locality does not

ometimes built upo

over it, which ef

tr

is quaint style, how he built a cache

sodd, and laid it b

we put our Goods, a

d Earth, and then p

impossible to susp

, for we flung the E

to Taos, where they bought mules, and returning to th

their descendants; one of these will tell you that he cached his vegetables in the side of the hill; or if he is out

and the name has only fallen into disuse within the last two decades. I remember the

merchants east of the Missouri. When the commonest domestic cloth, manufactured wholly from cotton, brought from two to three dollars a yard at Santa Fe, and

o survey a road from the Missouri River to the boundary line of New Mexico, and from thence on Mexican territory with the consent of the Mexican government. The signing of this bill was one of the last acts of Mr. Monroe's official life, and it was carried into effect by his successor, Mr. John Quincy Adams, but unfortunately a mistake was made in supposing that the Osage India

viduals with limited capital, who, purchasing goods in the Eastern markets, had them transported to the Missouri River, where, until the trade to New Mexico became a fixed business, everything was packed on mules. As soon, however, as leading merchants invested their capital, about 1824, the trade grew in

but as soon as that useful animal was raised in sufficient numbers in the Southern States to supply the demand, the imp

from three to five hundred, were stolen by the savages en route. The latter soon learned that it was a very easy thing to stampede a caravan of mules, for, once panic-stricken, it is im

vided with a lasso, and all on foot. The chief then began by informing the Americans that his men were tired of walking, and must have horses. Thinking it folly to offer any resistance, the terrified traders told them if one animal apiece would satisfy them, to go and catch them. This they soon did; but finding their request so easily complied with, the Indians held a little parley tog

iley, to escort the annual caravan, which that year started from the town of Franklin, Missouri, then the eastern terminus of the Santa Fe trade, as far as Chouteau's Island, on the Arkansas, which marked the boundary between the United States an

ears later, were the sole protection ever given by the government until 1843, when Captain Philip St. George Cook

predations, and it was firmly believed by many of the freighters that these Indians were i

e only to be tortured and their bodies horribly mutilated, could be collected from the opening of the traffic with New Mexico until the years 1868-69, when General Sheridan inaugurated his memorable "winter campaign" against the allied plains tribes, and compl

al, and died in the achievement of the victory of York, Upper Canada, in 1813, was sent in 1806 on an exploring expedition up the Arkansas River, with instructions to pass the sources of Red River, for which those of the Canadian were

thin Mexican territory, and only about eighty miles from the northern settlements, his position was soon discovered, and a force sent to take him to Santa Fe, which by treachery was effected without opposition. The Spanish officer assured him that the gov

th his men to the commandant general at Chihuahua, where most of his papers were seized, and

onnected with the treasonable attempt of Aaron Burr. The idea is simply preposterous; Pike's whole line of conduct shows hi

nspired by its glowing description of the country he had been so far to explore were de

ins, were mere novices in the many complications of the Trail; but having been in the fastnesses of the great divide of the continent, they thought that when they got down on the plai

hey arrived at the Cimarron crossing of the Arkansas, not a trace of former caravans was

r several days, the horrors of death by thirst constantly confronting them. Water must be had or they would all perish! At last Smith, in his desperation, determined to follow one of the numerous buffalo-trails, believing that it would co

. It was the Cimarron, and he hurried toward it to quench his intolerable thirst. When he arrived at its ban

on his knees digging vigorously in the soft sand. Soon the coveted fluid began to filter upwards into the little excavation he had made. He stooped to drink, and in the next second a dozen ar

become of him until some Mexican traders told them, having got the

ort of this littl

lity seems to have

r casualties, a cle

illed by a band of

s. This, I believe,

ng the traders whil

ty of accidents can

ence. There is not

e indescretion; s

and even ten mile

nd seldom in bands

this state, they

savages; so that f

tances, must be pa

e Indians; indeed,

ry loth to charge

hey can take him at

his band of Capta

otal destruction.

de of Blackfeet and

literally but a ha

ncied themselves fo

rtually "eated up

d considerable ex

with these treache

er assumed a thre

out any serious mol

Santa Fe

from Missouri, who contributed by their superior skill and undaunted energy to render the enterprise completely successful. A portion of this company employed pack-mules; among the rest were owned twenty-five wheeled vehicles, of which one or two were stout road-wagons, two were carts, and the rest

cont

s, having but seld

e Indians, generall

ach individual rarel

d dollars' worth of

d not last very lon

he traders were not

the savage hostili

eemed to forget the

ot be savages them

s. Instead of cul

few who remained p

sional one always

every Indian that fe

of the tribe had c

st themselve

f this, he relat

men named McNess

wn to sleep on the

n as McNess Creek,

n guns, as it was s

avan. When their

ifeless, and the ot

atter was carried n

where he died, and

e prairies, a very

rpse, wrapped in a

, is interred in a

ture of the soil, a

y are convenient, t

. Just as McNess's

ncluded, six or sev

de of the Cimarron

hem to a parley, wh

ed a desire to fir

able, however, that

ignorant of the ou

would hardly have v

quick of perception

ttitude assumed b

ound and attempted

ought an Indian to

led with balls. Al

of several guns fo

killed or mortally

bear the news

es had a most disast

rade; for the exas

re and more hostile

continued to wage

n fact this party s

rd. They were purs

in savages to the A

f nearly a thousan

ffairs in the region, met the Nez Perces, whose chief, "Wish-la-no-she," an octogenarian, when grasping the hand of the governor at the council said: "I put out my hand to the white man when Lewis and Clark crossed the continent, in 1805, and have never taken it back since." The tribe kept its word until the white men took forcible possession of the valley promised to the Indians, when the latter broke out, and a prolonged war was the consequence. In 1867 Congress appointed a commission to treat with the Cheyennes, Kiowas, and Arapahoes, appropriating four hundred thousand dollars for the expenses of the commission. It met at Medicine Lodge in Aug