The Santa Fe Trail extended from the American settlements in westernmost Missouri to the Mexican town of Santa Fe in present-day New Mexico. Its path followed some of the wildest, most desolate yet beautiful country in America.A spirited and graphic account of life along the Santa Fe Trail, this book includes the history of the land before the famous trail, the lure of Santa Fe, the dangers of surveying and traveling, the cattle drives and the people who trailed west, the Indians, the army, the women, the railroad, and the freighters during its long and colorful life.