Ruby Sisson Library

A dappled black horse proves to be a good friend to his boss on his first day of pulling a chuck wagon along the Santa Fe Trail.

A struggling cottonwood sapling becomes a landmark to travelers, a peace-medicine tree, and after its death in 1834, a yoke which is used on the trail to Santa Fe.

The 775-mile-long wagon road between frontier Missouri and Santa Fe, New Mexico was dangerous. Intense heat, killing blizzards, and the constant threat of attacking Indians made traveling the Santa Fe Trail very risky. In spite of the hardships, the Santa Fe Trail became an important link in America's growth. The area along the Santa Fe Trail became vital to the Union in the Civil War. After its victory, the area became a main frontier and the railroad...