Life on the Trails The Santa Fe Trail was an historic trail from Independence, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico used in the 1800s for trade and military purposes. It was about 780 miles in length. It was first used in 1880, after the railroads came to New Mexico. The vast majority of the Santa Fe Trail ran through Kansas, much of it along the Arkansas River. A small portion of the trail went through the Oklahoma Panhandle (No Mans Land), before terminating in northern New Mexico. After the United States Ruts from the Santa Fe Trail can still be seen in Morton County, Kansas acquired the southwest following the Mexican War, the trail helped open the region to residential and commercial development. Today, the route is commemorated as the Santa Fe National Historic Trail. Fort Dodge in Dodge City, Kansas was one of Americas most famous wild west towns. The famous television show Gunsmoke was even filmed here. Born in 1859 as Fort Dodge, the site was established along the Santa Fe Trail to provide westward bound travelers shelter from attacking Indians. Dodge City was established in 1872, five miles west of Fort Dodge. After the railroad was extended through Dodge City, the settlement attracted cowboys, buffalo hunters, soldiers, and railroad workers. Saloons, general stores and blacksmith shops lined the dirt roads. Because there was no local law enforcement, disagreements were settled by fight or duel. Eventually, the famous sheriff Wyatt Earp brought law, before the town was virtually abandoned in 1886. Sculpture in Santa Fe, the end of the Santa Fe trail Santa Fe is the capital of New Mexico. It was founded in 1598 as the capital of the province of Nuevo Mexico, an area claimed for Spain by Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado. It is the second oldest settlement in America. Santa Fe was the western terminus of the Santa Fe Trail, which was used from The city was the site of a large international trading market, where American merchants took manufactured goods and traded them for furs and other valuable items. Santa Fe was captured by the U.S. Army in 1846 in the Mexican War. Santa Fe was officially made capital of New Mexico upon its statehood. Animals Horses were rejected to go on the trail. Horses could not live off prairie grass. Oxen were the most common. Mules were the second common. Morning Routine First, they start the fire. Second, the women make breakfast. Then they would pack up all the supplies and head off on the trail. Meal Preparation If lucky, they would have quail or buffalo. They usually ate bacon. Pioneers cooked their meals over an open fire. Jobs Along the Way Women washed clothes. Men hunted, traded, and dealt with the livestock. Women were the family doctors. Daily Life on the Trail Entertainment Many items of entertainment were brought along on the trip. Adults had musical instruments, cards, and checkers. Dances became important social events along the trail. Children then had few toys, so they had to entertain themselves. Some were lucky enough to have marbles. Others made their own toys from household items. Distance Traveled People traveled about miles in one day. Oxen traveled about 2 miles an hour. Evening Routine Build another fire to keep them warm. Prepare the evening meal. Eat our dinner. Write in our journal. Sleep and be ready to travel in the morning. Daily Life on the Trail Continued What did a Family Need for Food? A family of four needed more than 1,000 pounds of food during the trip. Each person needed at least 200 pounds of flour, 150 pounds of bacon, 10 pounds of coffee, 20 pounds of sugar, and 10 pounds of salt. All this plus farm equipment and furniture were loaded into the tiny wagon. The cotton cover on the wagon was coated with linseed oil to help make it rain resistant, and the cover protected cargo from the weather and the constant dust on the trail. Both ends of the cover usually were tied shut. Death and Disease Nearly one in ten who set off on these trails did not survive. The two biggest causes of death were disease and accidents. The disease with the worst reputation was cholera, known as the "unseen destroyer." Cholera crept silently, caused by unsanitary conditions: people camped amid garbage left by previous parties, picked up the disease, and then went about spreading it, themselves. People in good spirits in the morning could be in agony by noon and dead by evening. Symptoms started with a stomach ache that grew to intense pain within minutes. Then came diarrhea and vomiting that quickly dehydrated the victim. Within hours the skin was wrinkling and turning blue. If death did not occur within the first 12 to 24 hours, the victim usually recovered.