1865-1880 –
The years between 1865 and 1880 mark a pivotal era in the American West, witnessing the transformative impact of railroad expansion along the historic Santa Fe Trail. This period, extending from the eastern terminus of the trail in 1865 to the arrival of the rails in Santa Fe in 1880, fundamentally reshaped the nature of overland trade and solidified the territorial boundaries that would define the continued formation of the United States. The arrival of the railroad was the beginning of the end for the traditional Santa Fe Trail.
By 1865, the geographic framework of the American West was becoming increasingly defined. While the Mountain Route of the Santa Fe Trail had served as a vital artery since the 1840s, its challenging terrain presented formidable obstacles to wagon travel. Chief among these was the treacherous Raton Pass, an 8,000-foot gauntlet notorious for breaking axles and testing the endurance of both man and beast.
The Raton Mountains, a complex of high mesas intersected by narrow, precipitous canyons, formed a natural barrier along the Colorado-New Mexico border. These mountains, an extension of the Sangre de Cristo range, stretched eastward for over 100 miles. While Raton Pass was the most well-known route through this rugged landscape, it was not the only option. San Francisco Pass, Manco de Burro Pass, Trinchera Pass, and Emery Gap offered alternative, though often equally difficult, paths for traders seeking to traverse the mountainous terrain. Historical records indicate that Raton Pass had been utilized as a communication route since the early 18th century. Expeditions led by Ulibarri (1706), Valverde (1719), and likely Villasur (1720) traveled from Santa Fe via Taos, crossing the Taos-Palo Flechado Pass through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains before venturing onto the plains of northeastern New Mexico and ultimately through Raton Pass into southeastern Colorado. Antonio Valverde y Cosio, the Governor of New Mexico, documented the route’s inherent difficulties during his expedition in 1719. 1865-1880 was a time of many expeditions that changed the landscape of America.
The year 1865 marked a turning point with the ambitious undertaking of Richens Lacy "Uncle Dick" Wootton. Wootton, recognizing the potential of improving access through Raton Pass, assembled a crew of Mexican laborers to blast away overhangs and ease the sharp curves that plagued the existing trail. Securing charters from both the Colorado and New Mexico legislatures, Wootton embarked on the construction of a toll road spanning Raton Pass, connecting Trinidad to the Red (Canadian) River. Upon completion of the project in 1865, the newly improved toll road opened, providing wagons with significantly easier passage through the mountains. This venture proved exceptionally lucrative. In 1866, over 5,000 wagons utilized the toll road, generating substantial revenue for Wootton. Records show that in one period of just over a year, Wootton earned $9,163.64 in receipts alone. As a result, the Sangre de Cristo Pass fell into disuse, and Wootton’s road became the primary artery between Colorado and New Mexico, a position it held until the advent of the railroad. The period of 1865-1880 ushered in an era of infrastructural development and economic opportunity in the West.
The burgeoning railroad network was rapidly transforming the landscape of transportation. On September 21, 1865, the Missouri Pacific Railroad reached Kansas City, a significant milestone in westward expansion. While some individuals continued to depart from Kansas City for Santa Fe as late as 1868, the last wagon trains left the city in the spring of 1866. As the eastern terminus of the Santa Fe Trail shifted westward, communities that had once thrived on the traffic of traders and wagon trains began to suffer. The Junction City Union newspaper poignantly captured this decline on August 31, 1867, noting that the thousands of freighting wagons and oxen that once passed through Council Grove had been replaced by the "shriek of the iron horse," leaving the old trail desolate. 1865-1880 saw the beginning of a new era, the end of the old west, and the start of the age of technology.
The Kansas Pacific Railroad (formerly the Union Pacific Railroad, Eastern Division) and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad engaged in a race to shorten the Santa Fe Trail, laying down steel rails that pushed ever westward. This relentless advance brought the railroad to key locations along the trail: Sheridan (May 1868); Burlingame (September 1868); Cheyenne Wells (March 1870); Kit Carson (March 1870); Emporia (summer 1870); Newton (July 1871); Hutchinson (June 1872); Great Bend (July 1872); and Larned (August 1872). In 1878, Wootton, recognizing the changing times, sold his toll road through Raton Pass to the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad. This transfer of ownership symbolized the ascendancy of the railroad and its dominance over overland transportation. The changes that took place during 1865-1880 were swift and sweeping.
Even before the Civil War and continuing after the arrival of the railroad, military freighting remained a significant activity along the Santa Fe Trail. Much of this freighting was conducted by civilian contractors, fostering interaction between the military and civilian sectors. Despite issues with delivery delays and damage to goods, the contract system proved more cost-effective and manageable than relying on government-operated trains. The government’s experience with freighting during the Mexican-American War prompted experimentation with civilian contracts, and the relative success of these contracts led to their increased use in supplying the growing number of military outposts along the trail. As competition among civilian contractors intensified, the cost of transporting military supplies decreased. However, the inclusion of transportation costs often increased the value of transported items five or six times over their original value. The provision of military escorts and the westward expansion of the Kansas Pacific Railroad in the late 1860s contributed to a reduction in the uncertainty, time, and expense associated with military freighting. In the 1870s, prominent firms handling military freight for New Mexico included Otero, Sellar and Company, and Chick, Browne, and Company. These companies followed the railroad’s westward progress toward Santa Fe. When the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad finally reached Santa Fe in 1880, transportation costs plummeted, and wagon hauls became significantly shorter. Railroad transportation offered faster, more frequent shipments of supplies, reducing spoilage, loss, and deterioration of goods, problems that were common during long wagon journeys. Military operations were greatly improved in the period of 1865-1880.
The impact of the railroad on overland trade is evident in the progressive shortening of wagon segments along the Santa Fe Trail. Some traders adapted to the changing landscape by moving their operations westward, staying ahead of the advancing rails. One such trader was Don Miguel Antonio Otero, who relocated his eastern headquarters seven times in eleven years, moving from Kansas in 1868 to Las Vegas, New Mexico, in 1879. The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad secured the right of way through Raton Pass, and its trains thundered into Las Vegas on July 4, 1879, and eventually into Santa Fe on February 9, 1880. This arrival marked the end of an era. The era of the Santa Fe Trail. Soon after this date, wagon transport became inefficient for long-distance movement of goods and people, effectively closing a significant chapter in the history of the Santa Fe Trail. The period of 1865-1880 was marked by rapid technological advancements and a shift in the economic landscape of the American West.
The 1865-1880 period represented a critical juncture in the history of the American West. It was a time of transition and transformation, where the iron horse replaced the wagon, and the railroad became the dominant force in shaping the economic and social landscape. The Santa Fe Trail, once the lifeblood of commerce and communication, gradually faded into history as the railroad ushered in a new era of efficiency and connectivity. The era of 1865-1880 forever changed the landscape of America.