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 William Becknell - First Trip on the Trail - New Franklin, MO Posted by:  YoSam.
N 39° 00.746 W 092° 44.273
15S E 522693 N 4318188
A Warrior, Trader, Explorer, Judge, Legislator, Ranger, Farmer and Rancher.
Waymark Code: WMQRBF
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 03/23/2016
Views: 3
County of memorial: Howard County
Location of memorial: MO-5 & Katy Trail, S. limits of New Franklin
Artist: Harry Weber
Dedicated: 31 August 2013
Granite Etchings artist: Kevin Hale
Engineer: Crockett Engineering
Contractor: Bill Sullivan Excavations
Memorial Text: William Becknell
1787 or 1788 to April 25, 1856
William Becknell was born in Amherst County, Virginia. He married Jane Trussler in 1807 and in 1810 moved to St. Charles. In the War of 1812 he joined Daniel Morgan Boone's company of U.S. mounted rangers and later participated in Major Zachary Taylor's campaign in the battle of Credit Island, in present day Davenport, Iowa. In 1815 he commanded the defense of Fort Clemson, Missouri. After the war he moved to the Boonslick and engaged in the freighting, ferrying, and salt trades. His wife died, leaving three children. Business failures left him deeply in debt. About 1814 he married Mary Cribbs. They had six children. Following an unsuccessful run for the Missouri House of Representatives and facing the possibility of debtor's prison for financial problems, he began organizing an expedition to the Rockies to trade for mules and horses and to capture wild animals. The caravan departed Franklin on September 1, 1821. Short of supplies and faced with unfriendly Indians, storms, raging rivers and impassable mountains, and learning that the Treaty of Cordoba recognized Mexico's independence from Spain, the expedition changed its destination to Santa Fe, a decision that proved immensely profitable. Becknell paid off his debts, organized two more expeditions and in 1825-26 participated in the federal project to grade and mark the Santa Fe Trail. His success continued as a Saline County justice of the peace, two-term Missouri legislator, and militia commander in the Black Hawk War. In 1835 he moved to Red River County, Texas, to farm. He served as a legislator and elections supervisor. Becknell probably did not realize that his expedition would lead to his recognition as "Father of the Santa Fe Trail." He is buried near Bagwell, Texas. His wife's will provided for this epitaph on his tombstone. "He whose merits deserve a Temple, can scarce find a tomb."
William Becknell's Find=A=Grave listing in Texas.
Road of Trail Name: Santa Fe Trail
State: Missouri
County: Howard County
Historical Significance:
The “highway” concept seems strange by today’s standards considering the Trail was actually a route made up of several trails, originated by animal herds and Indians, and carved out of mostly uncharted prairies and high plains.
In 1846, the Mexican-American War began, with the Army of the West following the Trail to invade Mexico. When the Treaty of Guadalupe ended the war in 1848, the Trail became a “national road” connecting the United States to the new territories.
By 1880, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad reached Santa Fe, to be connected with the Southern Pacific Railroad a year later. The glory years of the Santa Fe Trail were over.
Years in use: 1821 - 1880
How you discovered it:
Driving home from a photo trip to Chariton County, I was cutting down MO Hwy 5, and just south of New Franklin as I came to where the Katy Trail State Park crossed the hwy there stood a new monument. This is part of that monument
Book on Wagon Road or Trial:
Atherton, Lewis E. "The Santa Fe Trader as Mercantile Capitalist." Missouri Historical Review 77 (October 1982): 1-12.
Baker, T. Lindsay. "The Survey of the Santa Fe Trail: 1825-1827." Great Plains Journal 14 (Spring 1975): 210-234.
Website Explination:
http://www.genealogy.com/ftm/a/n/d/Darlene-Anderson-3/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0042.html
Why?:
rom 1821 to 1880, the Santa Fe Trail was “America’s Highway” to the Southwest. By the time it was replaced by the railroads, the Trail served as a link with Mexico and New Mexico Territory, and hastened the settlement of the American West.
In September 1821, Becknell organized a trading party for Santa Fe, and left Franklin with an ox-drawn caravan and 21 men, following parts of the Osage Trace. By mid-November, Becknell and his party arrived in Santa Fe, where they sold their goods at a huge profit.
Directions:
MO Hwy 5 south limits of New Franklin where the Katy Trail cross the hwy.
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Visit Instructions:
To post a log for this Waymark the poster must have a picture of either themselves, GPSr, or mascot. People in the picture with information about the waymark are preferred. If the waymarker can not be in the picture a picture of their GPSr or mascot will qualify. There are no exceptions to this rule.
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