Santa Fe Trail Turns 200, National Park Service Commemorates

Come explore the Santa Fe National Historic Trail and discover two centuries of trail history through a variety of activities hosted by National Park Service (NPS) partners to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Santa Fe Trail.

More than 40 in-person and virtual events are planned along the length of the trail—from Missouri to New Mexico—throughout 2021. Visit the NPS Santa Fe Trail Bicentennial website to see a full list of events, ranging from living history presentations to concerts, planned by the Santa Fe Trail Association and other partner organizations. You can also visit the Santa Fe Trail Association’s Bicentennial website for more information.

All in-person events are subject to change to accommodate federal, state, and local health and safety guidance.

“The 200th anniversary only comes once,” stated Larry Short, president of the Santa Fe Trail Association, “and we are committed to holding these events while following social distancing and safety guidelines for the safety of visitors and participants.”

To virtually explore Santa Fe Trail stories and activities, go to the Santa Fe National Historic Trail website.

The Santa Fe Trail got its start in 1821 when a party of American men ventured west from Franklin, Missouri, to trade in Santa Fe (then Mexico). The route they forged would grow into a commercial highway within a web of trade routes that extended to the East coast, Mexico, and Europe. The Santa Fe Trail brought together cultures in collaboration and conflict with the trail forever changing lives and landscapes of the west.

In 1987 Congress designated the Santa Fe Trail as a National Historic Trail under the National Trails System Act. Today, the trail is administered by the National Trails Office, an office of the National Park Service that works closely with partners – ranging from private landowners to nonprofit organizations – in protecting, developing and promoting the trail.

Source: NPS

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