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"...

Crazy Bill Williams

In March of 1823, James Monroe signed a bill appropriating $30,000 to survey and mark a wagon route to New Mexico.  Congressman Benton suggested an actual road be built and but there was not enough money to build the road over 800 miles.  The bill did however give the federal approval for western commerce and expansion at long last.

George Sibley was put in charge of hiring 35 men for Monroe's survey party - "we don't want a party of  gentleman coffee drinkers", George said.  He hired Joe Walker and Joe's younger brother, John, as part of the team.

The last team member picked was Bill Williams, who was the total opposite of Joe Walker with bouts of frightening drunkenness along with a very sadistic nature.  Walker and Williams would eventually have a showdown years later and 500 miles to the west.

"Crazy Bill" as Williams came to be called, was clumsy on and off a horse, talked to himself, and even tried preaching to all the men.  Williams did have a couple of good talents - he had wrote a complete Osage -English Dictionary and was well aware of the customs and language of the inhabitants of whose land they would be traveling through.  Crazy Bill was a good negotiator, interpreter, and had boundless energy and strength.  All in all, enough good traits to overrule the not-so-good.

Next time -    The Road to Santa Fe

Jailbirds in New Mexico

Joe did go to New Mexico where he and his buddies were intercepted by the Spanish military and put into jail.  They were released only when they promised to go back directly to the United States territory.  It is believed that Joe never meant to leave New Mexico territory - but to just retreat far enough back into the mountains to elude the Spanish police.

Joe became a member of the Taos trappers which were named after a mountain village in New Mexico where they hid out from the Spanish authorities. The Taos trappers were instrumental in opening both the Santa Fe trail and the American fur trade in the Rockies.

There is little record of their activity or whereabouts because the Taos trappers were a secret bunch.  Once they left Missouri westward, they were no longer considered United State citizens and received no protection from the government.  In fact, in essence, they became illegal aliens when they crossed the Spanish-Mexican boundary.  Walker and his men were now fugitives, smugglers and dealers in contraband!

Next time...some notorious trapper stories