In 1821, an enterprising freight operator named William Becknell founded the Santa Fe Trail, an overland trade route from Missouri to New Mexico that subsequently played a major role in the westward expansion of the United States. Riding packhorses and pulling wagons, the intrepid pioneers that followed in Becknell's footsteps blazed their own trail and helped settle and reshape the Old West.
2021 sees the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Santa Fe Trail. Let's celebrate by retracing the route of this historic commercial highway.
Saddle up, click on the following gallery, and take a ride along the Santa Fe Trail.