Transportation on the Santa Fe Trail

Transportation on the Santa Fe Trail. . The Santa Fe Trail was a major trade route to and from Santa Fe, New Mexico between 1821 and 1880. Wagon ruts, visible from the highway, evidence the thousands of caravans that traversed the route during its 59-year period of use. The Santa Fe Trail was first a foot path, then a horse trail, a wagon route, a railway, and finally, a 20th century highway. , Raton Pass was a major obstacle to travelers on the Mountain Branch of the Santa Fe Trail and the difficulties of its travel led to the creation of Trinidad as a resting, refreshing and resupply point. , Stage coaches varied from simple wagons to the elaborate Concord Coach. Depending on the condition of a road, the stage might be pulled by two to six horses or mules. Stage drivers changed teams about 10 or 12 times in 24 hours taking only an average four minutes. The stage normally traveled 8-10 miles an hour. , On February 14, 1880, a Santa Fe newspaper in celebration of the arrival of the railroad, spread an epitaph in bold type across its front page: , "The Old Santa Fe Trail Passes Into Oblivion.", The railroad was faster and more efficient in transporting goods to and from Santa Fe. Railroad lines competed heavily for the best routes. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad reached Trinidad, Colorado, in 1878. , El Moro is rich in history of Native Americans, Spanish Explorers and Mexican farmers, trappers, traders and finally settlers from diverse countries of the world. They came to mine cut stone, coke coal or supply services centered around the local coal mining camps. , Coal mining started as early as 1861 in this area. The climate was favorable, the water supply ample, and timber was available to shore up the underground mines. Coal from this region is some of the cleanest burning coal on earth. El Moro mine cornered the market and for a decade remained the state's largest producer of both coal and coke. Extracting the under-ground coal became more costly than open-pit extraction. As a result, all of the coal mines in the Trinidad fields are now closed. , Trinidad Street Railway, established in 1882, began operating with mulecars, replaced by horsecars in 1891. The horsecar system was replaced in 1904 by the Electric Railway and Gas Company and opened with five miles of track and five cars in town. Nine miles of track and three cars served to connect urban areas. Streetcar fare in town was five cents; inter-urban fare was 15 cents. Two cars ran to coal camps every hour. , Today visitors can take free trolley rides from the Colorado Welcome Center in Trinidad. , By 1922 the automobile had greatly reduced the number of people riding streetcars and the local lines were closed. , Captions , Upper Left: Santa Fe Trail wagon train , Middle Left: Concord stagecoach , Lower Left: Stagecoach to Trinidad and Stonewall , Middle Upper: Consolidation locomotive "Uncle Dick" , Middle Lower: El Moro coke ovens , Upper Right: Trinidad trolley , Middle Right: Trinidad, Sopris and Starkville trolley , Lower Right: Old auto on the Santa Fe Trail