The French and the Santa Fe Trail
The Santa Fe Trail extended nearly 1,000 miles overall from the Missouri River ports Southwest to Taos and Santa Fe. The first exploration and trading on the direct overland trail was conducted by the colonial French. The 1680 pueblo revolt in New Mexico cut off Spanish trade with the Southwestern Indians, and French traders were quick to fill the void. The Illinois French were then pushing up the Missouri River and far to the West, looking for gold and silver - and beaver for hats for Louis XIV's Court at Versailles. The Spanish Hidalgos reported with alarm in the 1690's that many French were "coming across the plains" to the centuries-old Taos Fair.
Etienne Veniard, Sieur de Bourgmont, surveyed the lower Missouri for Louis XIV in 1713, and set out overland from Kawsmouth to Santa Fe for the Regent, the Duc d'Orleans, and the Company of the Indies a decade later. Sickness and cold weather turned him back. He recovered in time to return and hold an immense pow-wow with the Commanches and others in the vicinity of Ellsworth, Kansas, gave them extravagant gifts, and obtained a treaty which opened the Santa Fe Trail to the French.
The direct overland prairie journey from Kawsmouth was a well-known French route to Taos and Santa Fe, used not only by Bourgmont, but also by many French military, priests and robust coureurs-de-bois like James Michener's "Pasquinal." The early French also took the Missouri-Platte-South Platte river voyage, and thence by land to Santa Fe. Well documented expeditions took this route in 1739, 1749, and 1752; the 1752 expedition leader accurately predicting that "caravans of horses" would soon carry "goods and clothing" directly overland to Santa Fe from Kawsmouth.
The Spanish at Santa Fe in 1795 sent a Frenchman, Pedro (Pierre) Vial, to reopen direct overland trade with the Missouri River communities. Sacajawae's son, "Bap" Charbonneau, part French and an 1823 resident of "Chez les Canses" (the early French name for Kansas City), later worked for the famous Santa Fe Trail traders, Bent & St. Vrain.
Marker is at the intersection of Westport Road and Pennsylvania Avenue on Westport Road.
Courtesy hmdb.org
