The Santa Fe Trail

By David Dary,

Book cover of The Santa Fe Trail: Its History, Legends, and Lore

Book description

A prize-winning historian of the Old West brings to life the people who laid down the Santa Fe Trail and opened commerce with Spanish America. He uses first-hand accounts and contemporary records to give us a vivid recreation of a time and place crucial to America's westward expansion.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Santa Fe Trail as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Dary set out to tell the whole story in easily accessible language introducing the student to a wide range of excitement on this trail that built America and made it great. From 1830 until the Civil War, the United States had no national bank and relied on the silver dollars brought from Mexico over the trail as its currency. Fortunes were made and lost and Missouri, the terminus of the trail, became powerful.

From Doug's list on Santa Fe Trail for history buffs.

Want books like The Santa Fe Trail?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Santa Fe Trail.

Browse books like The Santa Fe Trail

Book cover of Commerce of the Prairies: Life on the Great Plains in the 1830's and 1840's
Book cover of The Mexican Road: Trade, Travel, And Confrontation On The Santa Fe Trail
Book cover of Over the Santa Fe Trail to Mexico: The Travel Diaries and Autobiography of Dr. Rowland Willard

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,190

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in Mexico, Missouri, and American frontier?

Mexico 232 books
Missouri 41 books