The Road to Santa Fe

On July 1823, the survey party began working their way across Kansas.  They had no means to make signs to mark their path through the short grass of the flat plains, so they mounded up piles of dirt and rock to mark special points and directions.

150 miles out from Fort Osage they stopped to rest under the last sizable grove of trees, which came to be known as "Council Grove".  Crazy Bill Williams brought 50 Osage chiefs and warriors to the camp for a 4 day negotiation session.  A treaty was signed which gave the men permission for the trail to pass through Osage territory unmolested for $800 worth of goods.

Within a week the team had left Council Grove and Williams again brought the leaders of the Kansas tribe to sign the same treaty.  On September 11, they continued on to the Arkansas River, stopping for 3 weeks (public affairs in those days were done casually and slowly).

It was during this three week period that someone pointed out that they needed Mexico's permission since most of the trip would run through their territory, so the request was sent to Washington and the Mexicans.  It took almost 9 months for an agreement to come from Washington and Mexico which by that time was too late.

Most of those interested in the Santa Fe Road project and they who were financing the work, were no longer interested. Sibley and Williams had left for New Mexico, and by next summer when the men tried to resurrect the project, but the dirt market by then had begun to erode away and the project was deemed insignificant .

Years later Walker commented that though they had not built a true road to Santa Fe or made the trail more convenient, they at least "broke the crust"...