This map gives a geographic picture of the three trails during the opening of the west from 1845 to 1860. The years note when an area became a territory or was admitted as a state.
The Santa Fe Trail, 770 miles, blazed by William Bicknell in 1821, carried the vast American wagon trade with Mexico until the coming of the railroad in the 1840's and 50's Westport, and the Town of Kansas, became the starting points for the wagon caravans with Santa Fe as the southwestern terminus. In just five months of 1859, 2,300 men, 1,970 wagons, 840 horses, 4,000 mules, 15,000 oxen, and 73 carriages left Wesport over the Santa Fe Trail.
The fur trade, the gold rush, and a strong national feeling for expansion, opened the California and Oregon Trails to westward immigration between 1842 and 1848 at least 300,000 persons moved along the trails. At this site Wesport bustled with Wagons, traders, mules, oxen, bales and barrels.
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