Old Spanish Trail (trade route)

Common card · No. 351666

The Old Spanish Trail (Spanish: Viejo Sendero Español) is an historic trade route through the American Southwest that connected the colonial Spanish settlements of Nuevo México near Santa Fe with those of Los Angeles and the rest of Alta California. Approximately 700 mi (1,100 km) long, the trail and its many variants ran through areas of high mountains, arid deserts, and deep canyons. It is considered one of the most arduous of all trade routes ever established in the United States. Explored in part by Spanish explorers as early as the late 16th century, the trail was extensively used by traders with pack trains from about 1830 until the mid-1850s. The area was part of Mexico from Mexican independence in 1821 until it was ceded to the United States in 1848. The name of the trail comes from John C. Frémont's report on his 1844 journey from California to New Mexico for the U.S. Topographical Corps, which was guided by Kit Carson. The name acknowledges that parts of the trail had been known...

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