Santa Fe trail 2021 : Trails, Tales, and Tours
Bicentennial Week in Las Vegas, NM
September 13-19, 2021
NOTE: As of 8/24/2021, the decision was made to cancel the Santa Fe Trail Bicentennial Event week events for Sept 13 - 19 due to new mask requirements coinciding with the closing of Bridge Street for water main replacement.
The year 2021 marks 200 years since the Santa Fe Trail began its legacy as an international commercial highway. Las Vegas was the first New Mexican settlement encountered by traders and supply trains traveling from Missouri and the United States along the Santa Fe Trail. Not only did the Trail bring exotic goods and luxuries to Las Vegas, but it also brought ideas, cultures, and people.
The Trail meant jobs and commerce, and Las Vegas grew to over a thousand people by I860 from its founding in 1835. Over the next twenty years, its population quadrupled as it became a major Southwestern trade center with businesses and residences lining the Plaza. While some local families from Las Vegas profited from the goods traded along the Trail, disagreements between the Spanish, the new Anglo emigrants, and the local Apache riddled the era. Movement on the Trail was positive and lucrative for some, while others suffered from it. Stories of conflict, commerce, and culture abound on the Trail, with the potential to teach us about our past and help us determine our future.
The year 2021 marks 200 years since the Santa Fe Trail began its legacy as an international commercial highway. Las Vegas was the first New Mexican settlement encountered by traders and supply trains traveling from Missouri and the United States along the Santa Fe Trail. Not only did the Trail bring exotic goods and luxuries to Las Vegas, but it also brought ideas, cultures, and people.
The Trail meant jobs and commerce, and Las Vegas grew to over a thousand people by I860 from its founding in 1835. Over the next twenty years, its population quadrupled as it became a major Southwestern trade center with businesses and residences lining the Plaza. While some local families from Las Vegas profited from the goods traded along the Trail, disagreements between the Spanish, the new Anglo emigrants, and the local Apache riddled the era. Movement on the Trail was positive and lucrative for some, while others suffered from it. Stories of conflict, commerce, and culture abound on the Trail, with the potential to teach us about our past and help us determine our future.