THE OLD SANTA FE TRAIL by COLONEL HENRY INMAN (best fiction novels of all time .TXT) 📕

Preface

As We Look Into The Open Fire For Our Fancies, So We Are Apt To

Study The Dim Past For The Wonderful And Sublime, Forgetful Of The

Fact That The Present Is A Constant Romance, And That The Happenings

Of To-Day Which We Count Of Little Importance Are Sure To Startle

Somebody In the Future, And Engage The Pen Of The Historian,

Philosopher, And Poet.

 

 

 

Accustomed as We Are To Think Of The Vast Steppes Of Russia And

Siberia As Alike Strange And Boundless, And To Deal With The Unkown

Interior Of Africa As An Impenetrable Mystery, We Lose Sight Of A

Locality In our Own Country That Once Surpassed all These In

Virgin Grandeur, In majestic Solitude, And In all The Attributes

Of A Tremendous Wilderness.

 

 

 

The Story Of The Old Santa Fe Trail, So Truthfully Recalled by

Colonel Henry Inman, Ex-Officer Of The Old Regular Army, In these Pages,

Is A Most Thrilling One.  The Vast Area Through Which The Famous

Highway Ran Is Still Imperfectly Known To Most People As "The West";

A Designation Once Appropriate, But Hardly Applicable Now; For In

These Days Of Easy Communication The Real Trail Region Is Not

So Far Removed from New York As Buffalo Was Seventy Years Ago.

 

 

 

At The Commencement Of The "Commerce Of The Prairies," In the Early

Portion Of The Century, The Old Trail Was The Arena Of Almost Constant

Sanguinary Struggles Between The Wily Nomads Of The Desert And The

Hardy White Pioneers, Whose Eventful Lives Made The Civilization

Of The Vast Interior Region Of Our Continent Possible.  Their Daring

Compelled its Development, Which Has Resulted in the Genesis Of

Great States And Large Cities.  Their Hardships Gave Birth To The

American Homestead; Their Determined will Was The Factor Of Possible

Achievements, The Most Remarkable And Important Of Modern Times.

 

Preface

When The Famous Highway Was Established across The Great Plains

As A Line Of Communication To The Shores Of The Blue Pacific,

The Only Method Of Travel Was By The Slow Freight Caravan Drawn By

Patient Oxen, Or The Lumbering Stage Coach With Its Complement Of

Four Or Six Mules.  There Was Ever To Be Feared an Attack By Those

Devils Of The Desert, The Cheyennes, Comanches, And Kiowas.

Along Its Whole Route The Remains Of Men, Animals, And The Wrecks Of

Camps And Wagons, Told A Story Of Suffering, Robbery, And Outrage

More Impressive Than Any Language.  Now The Tourist Or Business Man

Makes The Journey In palace Cars, And There Is Nothing To Remind Him

Of The Danger Or Desolation Of Border Days; On Every Hand Are The

Evidences Of A Powerful And Advanced civilization.

 

 

 

It Is Fortunate That One Is Left To Tell Some Of Its Story Who Was

A Living actor And Had Personal Knowledge Of Many Of The Thrilling

Scenes That Were Enacted along The Line Of The Great Route.

He Was Familiar With All The Famous Men, Both White And Savage,

Whose Lives Have Made The Story Of The Trail, His Own Sojourn On

The Plains And In the Rocky Mountains Extending Over A Period Of

Nearly Forty Years.

 

 

 

The Old Trail Has More Than Common Interest For Me, And I Gladly

Record Here My Indorsement Of The Faithful Record, Compiled by A

Brave Soldier, Old Comrade, And Friend.

 

 

 

W. F. Cody, "Buffalo Bill."

 

Contents

Introduction.

The First Europeans Who Traversed the Great Highway--Alvar Nunez

Cabeca De Vaca--Hernando De Soto, And Francisco Vasquez De Coronado--

Spanish Expedition From Santa Fe Eastwardly--Escape Of The Sole Survivors.

 

Contents

Chapter I.

Under The Spaniards.

Quaint Descriptions Of Old Santa Fe--The Famous Adobe Palace--

Santa Fe The Oldest Town In the United states--First Settlement--

Onate'S Conquest--Revolt Of The Pueblo Indians--Under Pueblo Rule

--Cruelties Of The Victors--The Santa Fe Of To-Day--Arrival Of

A Caravan--The Railroad Reaches The Town--Amusements--A Fandango.

 

 

 

Chapter Ii.

La Lande And Pursley.

The Beginning Of The Santa Fe Trade--La Lande And Pursley,

The First Americans To Cross The Plains--Pursley'S Patriotism--

Captain Ezekiel Williams--A Hungry Bear--A Midnight Alarm.

 

 

 

Chapter Iii.

Early Traders.

Captain Becknell'S Expedition--Sufferings From Thirst--Auguste

Chouteau--Imprisonment Of Mcknight And Chambers--The Caches--

Stampeding Mules--First Military Escort Across The Plains--

Captain Zebulon Pike--Sublette And Smith--Murder Of Mcness--

Indians Not The Aggressors.

 

 

 

Chapter Iv.

Trains And Packers.

The Atajo Or Pack-Train Of Mules--Mexican Nomenclature Of

Paraphernalia--Manner Of Packing--The "Bell-Mare"--Toughness Of

Mules Among Precipices--The Caravan Of Wagons--Largest Wagon-Train

Ever On The Plains--Stampedes--Duties Of Packers En Route--Order Of

Travelling With Pack-Train--Chris. Gilson, The Famous Packer.

 

 

 

Chapter V.

Fight With Comanches.

Narrative Of Bryant'S Party Of Santa Fe Traders--The First Wagon

Expedition Across The Plains--A Thrilling Story Of Hardship And

Physical Suffering--Terrible Fight With The Comanches--Abandonment

Of The Wagons--On Foot Over The Trail--Burial Of Their Specie

On An Island In the Arkansas--Narrative Of William Y. Hitt,

One Of The Party--His Encounter With A Comanche--The First Escort

Of United states Troops To The Annual Caravan Of Santa Fe Traders,

In 1829--Major Bennett Riley'S Official Report To The War Department

--Journal Of Captain Cooke.

 

Contents

Chapter Vi.

A Romantic Tragedy.

The Expedition Of Texans To The Old Santa Fe Trail For The Purpose

Of Robbing Mexican Traders--Innocent Citizens Of The United states

Suspected, Arrested, And Carried to The Capital Of New Mexico--

Colonel Snively'S Force--Warfield'S Sacking Of The Village Of Mora

--Attack Upon A Mexican Caravan--Kit Carson In the Fight--

A Crime Of Over Sixty Years Ago--A Romance Of The Tragedy.

 

 

 

Chapter Vii.

Mexico Declares War.

Mexico Declares War Against The United states--Congress Authorizes

The President To Call For Fifty Thousand Volunteers--Organization Of

The Army Of The West--Phenomenon Seen By Santa Fe Traders In the Sky

--First Death On The March Of The Army Across The Plains--Men In

A Starving Condition--Another Death--Burial Near Pawnee Rock--

Trouble At Pawnee Fork--Major Howard'S Report.

 

 

 

Chapter Viii.

The Valley Of Taos.

The Valley Of Taos--First White Settler--Rebellion Of The Mexicans

--A Woman Discovers And Informs Colonel Price Of The Conspiracy--

Assassination Of Governor Bent--Horrible Butcheries By The Pueblos

And Mexicans--Turley'S Ranch--Murder Of Harwood And Markhead--

Anecdote Of Sir William Drummond Stewart--Fight At The Mills--

Battle Of The Pueblo Of Taos--Trial Of The Insurrectionists--

Baptiste, The Juror--Execution Of The Rebels.

 

 

 

Chapter Ix.

First Overland Mail.

Independence--Opening Of Navigation On The Mississippi--Effect Of

Water Transportation Upon The Trade--Establishment Of Trading-Forts--

Market For Cattle And Mules--Wages Paid Teamsters On The Trail--

An Enterprising Coloured man--Increase Of The Trade At The Close Of

The Mexican War--Heavy Emigration To California--First Overland Mail

--How The Guards Were Armed--Passenger Coaches To Santa Fe--

Stage-Coaching Days.

 

 

Contents

Chapter X.

Charles Bent.

The Tragedy In the Canyon Of The Canadian--Dragoons Follow The Trail

Of The Savages--Kit Carson, Dick Wooton, And Tom Tobin The Scouts

Of The Expedition--More Than A Hundred of The Savages Killed--

Murder Of Mrs. White--White Wolf--Lieutenant Bell'S Singular Duel

With The Noted savage--Old Wolf--Satank--Murder Of Peacock--

Satanta Made Chief--Kicking Bird--His Tragic Death--Charles Bent,

The Half-Breed renegade--His Terrible Acts--His Death.

 

 

 

Chapter Xi.

La Glorieta.

Neglect Of New Mexico By The United states Government--Intended

Conquest Of The Province--Conspiracy Of Southern Leaders--

Surrender By General Twiggs To The Confederate Government Of The

Military Posts And Munitions Of War Under His Command--Only One

Soldier Out Of Two Thousand Deserts To The Enemy--Organization

Of Volunteers For The Defence Of Colorado And New Mexico--

Battle Of La Glorieta--Rout Of The Rebels.

 

 

 

Chapter Xii.

The Buffalo.

The Ancient Range Of The Buffalo--Number Slaughtered in thirteen Years

For Their Robes Alone--Buffalo Bones--Trains Stopped by Vast Herds--

Custom Of Old Hunters When Caught In a Blizzard--Anecdotes Of

Buffalo Hunting--Kit Carson'S Dilemma--Experience Of Two Of Fremont'S

Hunters--Wounded buffalo Bull--O'Neil'S Laughable Experience--

Organization Of A Herd Of Buffalo--Stampedes--Thrilling Escapes.

 

 

 

Chapter Xiii.

Indian Customs And Legends.

Big Timbers--Winter Camp Of The Cheyennes, Kiowas, And Arapahoes--

Savage Amusements--A Cheyenne Lodge--Indian Etiquette--Treatment

Of Children--The Pipe Of The North American Savage--Dog Feast--

Marriage Ceremony.

 

 

 

Chapter Xiv.

Trappers.

The Old Pueblo Fort--A Celebrated rendezvous--Its Inhabitants--

"Fontaine Qui Bouille"--The Legend Of Its Origin--The Trappers

Of The Old Santa Fe Trail And The Rocky Mountains--Beaver Trapping--

Habits Of The Beaver--Improvidence Of The Old Trappers--Trading With

"Poor Lo"--The Strange Experience Of A Veteran Trapper On The

Santa Fe Trail--Romantic Marriage Of Baptiste Brown.

 

Contents

Chapter Xv.

Uncle John Smith.

Uncle John Smith--A Famous Trapper, Guide, And Interpreter--

His Marriage With A Cheyenne Squaw--An Autocrat Among The People

Of The Plains And Mountains--The Mexicans Held Him In great Dread--

His Wonderful Resemblance To President Andrew Johnson--Interpreter

And Guide On General Sheridan'S Winter Expedition Against