Southwest High School - Sachem Yearbook (Kansas City, MO)

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until October 21, when they turned up the left fork of the river. A little later the small band was struggling through Raton pass where for several days it labored at removing great boulders which blocked the Pass to the wagons and horses. Finally it got across and descended to the plateaus on the other side, reaching the turbulent Canadian River, and on November 12, Rock River. The following day Becknel1's party sighted a small band of horsemen who turned out to be a body of Mexican troops. Immediately they prepared for battle but were pleasantly surprised when they discovered the Mexicans were a friendly band who encouraged them to continue on to Santa Fe. Towns became more and more frequent in the path of Becknel1's men until finally on November 16, 1821, they entered the town of Santa Fe. Here they sold their limited stock of goods at very profitable prices. Early in December, with well filled money bags, they began their homeward trek. Seventeen days later they were back on the Arkansas and in thirty-one days after this they were home again. Never before had the people heard such tales of the unsettled wilderness. One of the men severed the thongs on his money bag. Large silver coins rolled out of the bag and into the street. The people saw these coins, not only as coins, however, but also as wheels rolling, rolling toward the West where riches, land, and new trade were to be found and possessed. On May 22, 1822, a year after the first expedition Becknell and a party of twenty-one left Arrow Rock on a second journey. This time they followed the former route to a point about Hve miles west of Dodge City. Here they left the Arkansas River route, striking off to the southwest across the Cimarron Desert, Although this route was somewhat shorter, the journey proved to be much more hazardous than the previous one. After days of suffering and hardship, Becknell and his followers reached Rock River where they joined the earlier trail and soon reached Santa Fe safely. Becknell had opened the trail which numerous others followed, some to riches, many to oblivion, and hundreds to their deaths! But all contributed to make a wilderness road which will live in the minds of our people as long as our country exists. The Santa Fe Trail is but a thread in this vast thundering loom on which history is being woven. Yet, there it shines, if we look closely, like a streak of light in a past of unsettled darkness. nur' L i Ji 1 Jack Hai:-Icy N , Twenty-eight

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F . The small streams which we had to cross were even more dangerous than larger ones. I remember a small creek that had an exceedingly steep bank and a very miry bed caused us not only great difficulties but also took the life of a fellow pioneer. During the building of a temporary bridge, one of the men stepped into a bed of quick-sand and was gradually pulled beneath the surface of the water. This was the most gruesome death that l have ever wit- nessed. To see a man gradually go to his death and to be unable to help him is horrible. After staggering through a sand storm and encountering several other hardships similar to those l have already mentioned, we finally reached our destination. Considering the losses and suffering, sometimes l wonder if it was worth the effort. I guess it was. We helped found the Santa Fe Trail to the Golden West. Will you boys never grow tired of hearing the story of your forefathers? their mother inquired. The question remained unanswered for the two boys had fallen fast asleep, dreaming of the war-whoopers. THE FOUNDING OF THE TRAIL By B03 YYVJLF On the vast loom on which America's hi tory is being woven many great deeds are being worked into the fabric. As we gaze upon this intricate pattern our eyes encounter many valiant deeds. Some vivid, some rather dull, but without a doubt each bit of color and each strand of thread has its place in the pattern which is being spun as time weaves countless events into the design. Picturesque in the weaving of the colorful history of the western frontier are the exploits of Captain William Becknell, known as The Father of the Santa Fe Trail. True, the trail claims many parents: the Indians, nomads of the Great Plains, the Conquistadores, the Spanish, French, and Yankee trappers and traders. Apparently Captain Becknell did not actually discover the route though it is possible that he was the first trader to cross the treacherous desert of the Cimarron. It is certain that his wagons were the first to cross the conti- nent to Santa Fe. His fame can be traced to many sources but most eminent is the fact that once he opened the trail it remained open, The ruts left by the wheels of his crude wagons were followed and deepened by the western surge of travel which struggled in his wake: followed today by motor vehicles which travel over smooth highways, penetrating straight as an arrow, into the heart of the Southwest. Becknell was a dreamer who realized his dreams, But never in those vivid moments did he visualize the results of his trip into the wilderness which began on the first day of September, l82l, when he and his small party set out from Arrow Rock, near Franklin, Missouri. Little did he imagine that these plains- men, bent on an expedition for trading with the Indian tribes near the Rockies, would find their way to the town of Santa Fe. His route from Arrow Rock followed the main line of the trail, through Osage City and along the Arkansas River. Undaunted by the hardships which they encountered frequently, the party followed the main branch of the Arkansas Twen ty-se uen

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l Y THE TRADERS VISIT SANTA FE By NANCY NICKLES The town of Santa Fe, at irst sight, was not particularly pleasant. Many people were and others would have been thoroughly displeased with it. It was, however, a welcome sight to the traders who had traveled some forty days over the dry, waste lands. As visitors entered the gates of Santa Ee, they were greeted warmly by girls with jet-black hair, flashing eyes: in turn flirtatious and haughty. The soldiers in their ill-fitting uniforms came running from all directions, while the Indians watched hopefully as the traders unloaded their wares from the East. Because all goods had to go through the customs house, there was keen competi- tion to get through this ordeal speedily. Often the men would race into town and have their business done before the rush of the day began. The town was centered about the plaza which, incidentally, was entirely without foliage. The principal building was the Palacio, the government seat, on the north. It was architecturally a part of the Presidio originally built as a fort. On the south of the plaza was a large military chapel. Those parts of the streets facing the plaza which were not occupied by oflicial buildings, churches, or the residences of the priests, were filled with the homes of wealthier inhabitants. La Panda, which marked the end of the trail, was not so finished a structure as were the hotels, but when traders were in town, the drama which it sheltered was to be matched in no other hostelry on earth. From the plaza radiated the smaller and poorer streets. On these streets the architecture was extremely simple, but not stilted. All the houses were whitewashed and offered a refreshing sight to the dirty, weary traveler. Though some of the homes were richly furnished, the vast majority were plainly alike. The floors were adobe, the walls were plastered with adobe and covered with an easily removed substance, gypsum. The ceilings were mostly uncovered beams, though some were covered with muslin and a few were painted. Every home had a fireplace, but most of the cooking was done in outdoor ovens. The furniture was as crude and simple as could be and still be called furniture. No system of education existed. Few could read, fewer could write. The only news was brought into town by caravans and the center of social life was the church. In spite of the fact that the people were wretchedly poor, they tossed aside cares easily and seemed perfectly happy and contented. The people of the time were noted for their never failing hospitality. The girls dressed in silks and satins, ginghams and lawns, embroidered crepe shawls, and many ornaments such as huge necklaces and jeweled combs. Even the poorer people, though they didn't have silks and satins, wore gaudy clothes and cheap jewelry. The girls painted then, and not sparingly with Hour paste for powder and Vermilion coloring for lips and cheeks. The men, also, with their silver spurs and colored sashes, were as lurid as their wives and sweethearts. Despite the free and easy manner of these Mexicans, the young people were strictly under the surveillance of their parents. Marriages were arranged by the parents and the feelings of their children were regarded as of minor importance. There were many types of dances. Some were thoroughly respectable: some less so. The fandango was for the common people, the baile for the more pretentious. There were also the ordinary waltz, a slow waltz and the cuna, in which two beautiful figures danced with arms locked and heads thrown back. Twenty-nine