Miguel A. Otero Jr., born in St. Louis to a family with deep New Mexico roots, rode the Santa Fe Trail back to his parents' home territory, where he distinguished himself in banking, politics and letters. He studied at Notre Dame University, then joined his family in banking and worked as a court official. He was one of the last territorial governors before serving as U.S. marshal of the Panama Canal Zone. Otero County in Southern New Mexico was named for his family. He founded a newspaper in Las Vegas, N.M., and wrote a widely read three-volume memoir about life on the frontier and in politics.

Source: Otero biography My Life on the Frontier


At 16, Kit Carson followed the Santa Fe Trail to escape the humdrum life as an apprentice saddle maker in Franklin, Mo. Carson became famous as a trapper, trader, military guide and Army officer. He rode with U.S. Army commanders John C. Fremont, Stephen Watts Kearny and James Carleton. Under orders, Carson waged a military campaign against the Navajos, including the brutal scorched-earth policy. He later served in Colorado, where he died at 58. He was buried in Taos alongside his wife, Maria Josefa, a member of the prominent Jaramillo family.

Source: Hampton Sides' Blood and Thunder



Rufus J. Palen typified the merchant and professional who arrived on the Santa Fe Trail. Born in New York and trained in law at the University of Michigan, Palen served as a Union officer in the Civil War. He traveled to Santa Fe after his father, Joseph, was named to the territorial supreme court. The younger Palen founded the Santa Fe Board of Trade and served many years as president of the First National Bank of Santa Fe. Palen and his associates were a virtual who's who of Santa Fe Trail pioneer families, including L. Bradford Prince, a future governor; Abraham Staab, trader and government contractor; the Seligmans, a family of merchants and political leaders; A.F. Spiegelberg, mercantile owner; Enos Andrews, dentist, silversmith and a founder of the city water company; Charles H. Gildersleeve, a lawyer and leader of the Democratic Party; and Thomas B. Catron, lawyer and Republican politician.

Source: Primarily Corinne P. Sze's history of Fairview Cemetery.



Born in 1881, Nina Otero-Warren saw firsthand the changes in civic life that accompanied immigrants from the east. She witnessed the transformation of New Mexico from a place of Hispano-run sheep and cattle ranches to a state ruled increasingly by Anglo newcomers. Her own father was murdered in a dispute over the family's land. She married an Anglo man, divorced him and kept his last name. The hyphenated name of Otero-Warren opened doors for her in both cultures. She was a leader of women's suffrage and served as one of New Mexico's first female public officials, as Santa Fe school superintendent and as chairwoman of the Board of Health. Later she lost a Republican bid for Congress.

Source: Charlotte Whaley's Nina Otero-Warren of Santa Fe.



In 2002, Reynaldo "Sonny" Rivera planted Journey's End, his massive bronze sculpture, at the entrance to Museum Hill off Old Santa Fe Trail. Since then, the captivating sculpture has transported modern-day museum visitors back in time to walk among the characters frozen in the era of the wagon trains. Rivera, who lives in Albuquerque, collaborated with landscape architect Richard Borkovetz on Journey's End, which depicts a Santa Fe Trail caravan as it nears Santa Fe complete with mules, a wagon, a Pueblo woman, and a boy and his dog. Rivera, a native New Mexican known for tributes to his Hispanic heritage, also has created a sculpture honoring the Spanish colonizers and a monumental bronze sculpture of acclaimed author Rudolfo Anaya.

Source: Santa Fe Trail Association



When Mother Magdalena and the Sisters of Loretto arrived in 1852, they followed what would become a familiar journey to Santa Fe. At first, they were strangers, but soon they felt at home in the city. "I was deeply conscious of my utter loneliness in this strange land," she wrote to her sister, but she quickly stopped complaining and went to work. The sisters' mission was education, and a girls school and Loretto Chapel became their legacy.

Source: Beverly Wests' More than Petticoats: Remarkable New Mexico Women



Native New Mexicans as well as easterners grew wealthy hauling freight on the Santa Fe and Mexican trails. For instance, José Leandro Perea of Santa Fe became one of the richest men in New Mexico by capitalizing on the trade routes that linked the United States and Mexico. Perea and other New Mexican traders went east to buy wholesale, returning to Santa Fe to sell goods in a favorable market. As Mexican citizens who paid low import duties, the New Mexicans were able to undercut prices offered by American merchants.

Source: Historian Marc Simmons



In 1878, Susan Wallace arrived in Santa Fe in a buckboard along with her husband, territorial Gov. Lew Wallace, who later gained fame as the author of Ben-Hur. She was a writer and poet in her own right. Susan Wallace was noteworthy as a Santa Fe newcomer from the East who looked down her nose at her new home. She wrote in a book that Santa Fe was "the sleepiest place in the world," a dusty town that retained "the charm of foreign flavor" and "some portion of the grace which lingers about ... the spot where Spain has held rule for centuries, and the soft syllables of the Spanish language are yet heard."

Source: Susan Wallace's The Land of the Pueblos.