University:
Felician University
Course:
HIST-110 | World Geography and Culture
Academic year:

2022
Views:

100

Pages:

14
Author:

5CelestialChronicle

Major William Bradford from Fort Smith was sent to expel renegades (deserters and other fugitives) in eastern Oklahoma. He was joined by botanist Thomas Nuttall, who studied the plants and animal life there. Nuttall noted that despite earlier reports, the territory would support settlements. Americans began moving into an area known as Three Forks, where the Arkansas River, the Verdigris River, and the Grand River meet. The Osage Indians brought furs, fowl, wild honey, and buffalo hides to trade for beads, knives, blankets, and woven cloth. The Osage Outfit Trading Post was established in 1821 by French trader Col. A.P. Chouteau. But within 10 years, game was scarce, and the fur trade around Three Forks was dying. The Western Creek tribe was the first to trade crops instead of furs. Their produce included beans, corn, rice, peaches, and “gopher peas” (peanuts). They grew an unusual plant called sarsaparilla, which was brewed into a new drink. When Mexico won its independence from Spain in 1821, Americans headed west to Santa Fe, in hopes of new trade. Several unsuccessful attempts were made to create a permanent trade route across the Plains. One started south at Three Forks and followed the South Canadian River westward. William Becknell then established The Santa Fe Trail. It crossed Missouri, Kansas, and southeastern Colorado. The Cimarron Cutoff, a popular variation of the Santa Fe Trail, crossed the Oklahoma Panhandle. It got its name because it took 10 days off travel time. The deep ruts caused by the wagons can still be seen today. Hundreds of travelers left their signatures on a sandstone cliff called Autograph Rock. There are 323 signatures in all, with the earliest dating back to 1826. In the summer of 2016, I visited Santa Fe, New Mexico. This stone marks the end of the Santa Fe Trail. As the young nation found its way west, the Natives would face their greatest challenge.