The Santa Fe Trail set out in 1821 used until 1880 when it ceased with the advent of the Railroad. Historic Route 66 In this area follows the Santa Fe Trail, using the same route into Santa Fe, through the Pecos Valley and the Glorieta Pass.
Now part of the Pecos National Park, near Pecos, San Miguel County, New Mexico. This portion of the National Historic Park was donated by movie actress Greer Garson.
Kozlowski's Historic Trading Post and Santa Fe Trail Interpretive Material & You are Here map. is located in the North side of the parking lot, 'Trail Sites to the East' and reads as follows:
"Network of Trade - The Santa Fe Trail was an important link in the system of early international trading routes. Goods heading east from Missouri were transported on rivers and canals to reach the ports of New York City and New Orleans. EL Camino Real de la Terra Adentro connected Santa Fe to Chihuahua, Mexico and points farther south.
Heading east, traders had a decision to make at Watrous whether to take the flatter but drier Cimarron Route or head north along the shorter, rugged Mountain Route. If they went north they could rest and resupply at Fort Union before the climb through Raton Pass. At the fort were wheelwrights to fix broken wagon wheels, blacksmiths to mend tools and axles, and a sutler's store stocked with essential supplies and hardware.
1. San Miguel Del Vado - This church was part of the first Hispanic settlement on the trail. Western bound caravans crossed the Pecos River nearby and the crossing point served as a port of entry and campsite for traders headed to Santa Fe.
2. Starvation Peak - Also known as Bernal Hill, this peak was a landmark for Santa Fe Trail traders. Bernal Spring offered water to traders and for a time there was a stage station here.
3. Kearney's Gap - Here, in 1821, Captain Ignacio Gallegos met trader William Becknell's party from Missouri. Mexican independence from Spain two months earlier allowed Governor Facundo Meigares to welcome Becknell and then open the Santa Fe Trail to legal international commerce between Mexico and the United States.
4. Las Vegas, New Mexico - From the top of the flat-roofed adobe structure, between numbers 210-218 on the north side of the plaza Brigadier General Stephen Watts Kearny claimed New Mexico territory for the United States in 1846
5. Watrous Store (Watrous Valley Ranch House) - Samuel Watrous opened a trading store here in 1849 and made his home in this structure. The store catered to Santa Fe Trail traders until the very end of the trail era. The town was originally know as La Junta and was renamed Watrous when the railroad reached the town.
6. Fort Union National Monument - Three forts were constructed o this site, the most recent built in 1863. It protected the western end of the trail and maintained well-supplied warehouses for both military units and private caravans reaching the fort from the east." Text Source: (
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