The Journey Home
For thousands of travelers, Santa Fe, New Mexico was the end of the line after months of a treacherous and sometimes deadly journey, yet to them, it offered hope and a start of a new home. The Santa Fe Trail was mainly established as a commercial transportation route, but soon became a main wagon trail thoroughfare for Americans traveling from Missouri, in search of owning large parcels of land and a freedom they could not find at home. According to Wikipedia, “ Travelers faced many hardships along the Santa Fe Trail. The trail was a challenging 900 miles of arid plains, desert, and mountains. The natural climate was and is continental: very hot and dry summers, coupled with long and bitterly cold winters. Freshwater was scarce, and the high steppe-like plains are nearly treeless. ” Of course before the influx of people from the east, Indigenous Americans lived in this region for hundreds of years and they still flourish there to this day. The city itsel...