From 1821 to 1880, the Santa Fe Trail operated as a commercial highway. For the first 25 years of its existence, the trail operated as an international route for Mexican and American traders.

Village of Oak Creek hike: Little Rock-Rabbit Ears loop. Length: 5.7-mile loop. Rating: Moderate. Elevation: 4,222-4,709 feet (1,022 feet of total elevation change). Getting there: Use the Jacks ...

Courtesy Kevin Moloney The Spanish Peaks, a Santa Fe Trail landmark, break the horizon beyond a remote cemetery near La Junta, Colo., Saturday, June 10, 2023. Near here in 1859, on a merchandise ...

The Santa Fe Trail stretches 1,203 miles from just north of Boonville, Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico and 188 of those miles are in southeastern Colorado. Latest U.S.

But for El Monte residents, there’s little doubt that El Monte is the proper end of the Santa Fe Trail. It’s ingrained in city lore from at least the early 1900s, it’s on the city seal and ...

On Sept. 1, 1821, William Becknell set out from Franklin, Missouri, to Santa Fe, New Mexico, with five other men. That journey has gone down in most histories as the opening of the 870-mile-long ...