Santa Fe in Santa Fe County, New Mexico — The American Mountains (Southwest)
The Old Spanish Trail
Photographed By J. J. Prats, April 25, 2013
1. The Old Spanish Trail Marker
Inscription.
The Old Spanish Trail from Santa Fe to Los Angeles. In the years 1829 to 1848 pack mule trains regularly left the Santa Fe Plaza and northern New Mexico carrying woolen goods produced in New Mexico bound for California. Horses and mules were purchased and traded for and then driven back along the Old Spanish Trail to New Mexico and on to the mid west. This was a dangerous, but highly lucrative trade during those years. Several modern-day New Mexican families have ancestors who traveled the routes that linked Santa Fe, Abiquiu and Taos with the San Gabriel Mission and Los Angeles Plaza where the trail ended.
The Old Spanish Trail from Santa Fe to Los Angeles. In the years 1829 to 1848 pack mule trains regularly left the Santa Fe Plaza and northern New Mexico carrying woolen goods produced in New Mexico bound for California. Horses and mules were purchased and traded for and then driven back along the Old Spanish Trail to New Mexico and on to the mid west. This was a dangerous, but highly lucrative trade during those years. Several modern-day New Mexican families have ancestors who traveled the routes that linked Santa Fe, Abiquiu and Taos with the San Gabriel Mission and Los Angeles Plaza where the trail ended.
Erected by Old Spanish Trail Association and La Boca Restaurant.
Location. 35° 41.357′ N, 105° 56.273′ W. Marker is in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in Santa Fe County. Marker is on West Marcy Street near Lincoln Avenue, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 72 West Marcy Street, Santa Fe NM 87501, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Staff Sergeant Leroy A. Petry (within shouting distance
Also see . . . Old Spanish Trail Association. “For traveling Mexican caravans between 1829 and 1848, the Old Spanish National Historic Trail was known as the shortest path to riches between Los Angeles and Santa Fe. It was a trail of commercial opportunity and western adventure as well as slave trading, horse thieving and raids. The Old Spanish Trail route was established along a loose network of Indian footpaths that crossed the wide expanse of the Colorado Plateau and the Mojave Desert. With time, this newly established trade corridor attracted frontiersmen and U.S. military expeditions.
For a lucky few, the Old Spanish Trail represented fortune. Quality woolen
Photographed By J. J. Prats, April 25, 2013
2. The Old Spanish Trail Marker
goods produced in New Mexico were traded for a surplus supply of horses and mules raised on California’s ranchos. These valued stock animals commanded premium prices in New Mexico and the western frontier of the United States. Traders and their mule caravans typically began their annual journey from New Mexico in late fall to take advantage of low water river crossings and cooler temperatures across the hot Mojave desert.” (Submitted on April 28, 2013.)
Photographed By J. J. Prats, April 25, 2013
3. The Old Spanish Trail – Detail from the Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on January 6, 2020. It was originally submitted on April 28, 2013, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 550 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on April 28, 2013, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.
