On Nov. 13, 1821, Don Pedro Ignacio Gallego, the alcalde of Abiquiú, and his small militia chanced upon a handful of Americans near Las Vegas, N.M. Probably no more than a dozen men, this little group must have looked weary and starved from several months on the trail.

By accident, Don Gallego witnessed the first crossing of the Santa Fe Trail. He might have liked to congratulate these adventurers, but neither he nor any of his men spoke English. As it happened though, one of the Americans spoke French as did a member of Gallego's militia. With pigeon French and Native American sign language, the New Mexicans welcomed the Americans and informed them that the terminus of the Santa Fe Trail and the rest of New Mexico had come under Mexican sovereignty.

For the leader of this rag-tag bunch of Americans, William Becknell, this came as great news. In the summer of 1821, Becknell organized the trip out of sheer financial desperation. A resident of the city of Franklin, Mo., Becknell had garnered little success as an entrepreneur, but he found the courage, and the money, for one more gamble.

He planned to lead a small, well-fortified and armed group of men into Spanish territory in the hopes of inaugurating trade. Americans knew that Spanish citizens had little in the way of cheap manufactured goods.

Becknell had correctly reasoned that these people could be a source of immense profit for agile and clever traders. No longer ruled by the Spanish government, the New Mexicans welcomed this commerce. Soon other traders reached the same conclusion that Becknell reached and chanced the long road to Santa Fe in the hopes of earning great fortunes.

The golden period of the Santa Fe Trail was under way.

From 1821 to 1880, the dirt road stretched from Missouri to New Mexico across Kansas, Oklahoma and Colorado. Enterprising traders not intimidated by dry, bumpy stretches of land and Native American raiders stood to reap great financial gain by trading sundry goods. Those goods included razors, scissors, linens, gloves, axes and alcohol. When they returned, traders brought their rewards mostly as currency, but sometimes they bargained for furs and mules.

Even as the trail grew more well-worn, it hardly evolved past a set of rough wagon ruts along the plains. Typically, the journey began each spring in Independence, Mo. Traders would fill the little town and purchase their necessary provisions before taking the trail.

Those courageous enough to take the trip could expect to encounter hostile Native American tribes, American bison and grizzly bears. Each night, to protect themselves, travelers would "circle the wagons" and assign sentries to stand guard holding guns. The constant threats of starvation and dehydration plagued the travelers as well. The trip could take three months.

The trade route became so effective that some Americans opted to spend a little more time in Santa Fe. The Santa Fe Trail and trade provided some of the inspiration that led the United States to war with Mexico, even though the value of the trade rarely soared and Mexico actually halted all exchange in 1844.

Trade along the trail continued after the United States took possession of New Mexico in 1848 but began to decline along with the fur trade and the era of the mountain man. Later, the Civil War diverted resources from the forts along the route that protected travelers and created business for suppliers.

The hardy souls who took the route set an example of exploration and survival for latter pioneers to follow. In time, though, the railroads after 1880 would change the rules completely and usher in an era of faster commerce and tourism.

Jason Strykowski is a doctoral candidate at The University of New Mexico.