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and the defense of Fort
Clemson, near St. Louis. In the latter engagement, he took control of the defense after senior officers fell. For this he was promoted to the rank of captain, and was long known as Captain Becknell. Following his discharge from Federal service in June 1815, Becknell moved west
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The people of Santa Fe were eager for the variety of goods which
Becknell offered from his string of pack horses. They were willing to pay high prices: some cotton cloth and calico brought the then-unheard of sum of three dollars a yard. After a month of trading, Becknell and his party left Santa Fe
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took its toll on his business activities by limiting the amount of credit and hard currency available. Owing creditors more than $ 1,200 ($ 20,000 in today's money), Becknell was briefly jailed until a friend posted bail. The judge in the case gave
Becknell until early 1822 to pay his creditors or
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Jane
Becknell died of unknown circumstance, possibly in childbirth, around the time of her husband's military discharge. In January 1817 the widower married again, to Mary Cribb. According to U.S. Census Bureau records, Becknell was the father of at least five children in total: Mary Jane born in
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Reaching
Missouri in January 1822, Becknell almost immediately began planning his next trading trip to Santa Fe. For his second journey, he chose to haul trade goods by wagon instead of pack horse. He had to slightly alter his original route in order to accommodate the width of wagons and draft
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achieved independence from Spain in 1821, it opened up trade to its territories; residents of Santa Fe were eager for more trade goods. In 1822, Becknell altered his route to Santa Fe in order to find a trail more suitable for wagon trains so that he could enable transport of more trade goods.
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1815, John
Calhoun born in 1817, William Alexander Jr. also born in 1817, Lucy born in 1818, and Cornelia born in 1827. Becknell supported his family by working as a ferryman on the Missouri river and by managing the Boone's Lick Salt Works. In early 1820 he purchased 180 acres in
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Becknell made a third profitable trip to Santa Fe in 1824. The following year in 1825, he helped map the trail for surveyors hired by the U.S. Congress. For his efforts in opening up an improved route for regular traffic and military movement, William
Becknell became known as the
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in 1821. He found a trail for part of the route that was wide enough for wagon trains and draft teams, making it easier for trader and emigrants along this route. The Santa Fe Trail became an early major transportation route through central North
America that connected
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to parents
Micajah and Pheby (Landrum) Becknell. Conflicting sources say his year of birth was 1787 or 1788. Young Becknell's father and grandfather were veterans of the American Revolution, as were two uncles who died in the war.
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In 1821 Becknell faced substantial debt. He had bought out the Boone family interest in the salt works around 1818. In 1820 he ran unsuccessfully for the
Missouri Legislature, having borrowed money to finance the campaign. The
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Earlier travelers had ridden on horseback, trailing packhorses. By 1825, he assisted a surveyor with the federal government in mapping the trail, so that it could be available for commercial and military use.
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Mexico had recently become independent of Spain. It lifted the ban against trade with outsiders. French colonists from St. Louis had traded with Santa Fe when both were still under Spanish rule before the
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newspaper, his intent was "trading for horses and mules and catching wild animals of every description." Becknell and his group were not the only ones searching for a convenient trade route to
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had been given a monopoly with the Spanish for trade in Santa Fe, and this trade contributed greatly to the wealth of the city on the Mississippi River.
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teams. The wagon train left Franklin in May 1822 and suffered considerable hardship, with both animals and people nearly dying of thirst in the parched
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258:. Retaining his rank of captain, Becknell served in the Missouri state militia during a Native American uprising in 1829 and again during the 1832
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on December 13 with their saddlebags overflowing with silver. His investment of $ 300 in trading goods had returned approximately $ 6000 in coin.
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81:(1787 or 1788 – April 25, 1856) was an American soldier, politician, and freight operator who is credited by Americans with opening the
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Becknell died on April 25, 1856, at his home. He is buried in a private family cemetery. US 82 passes by the site a few miles west of
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Under pressure, Becknell left Franklin in September 1821 on an extended trading trip, including hunting and trapping for furs, as the
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was still lucrative. He bought $ 300 worth of trade goods for his trip. According to an advertisement Becknell placed in the
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In 1835 Becknell sold all his Missouri property and business interests and moved to present-day
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Becknell married Jane Trusler in 1807 in Virginia. In 1810 the young family migrated to the new
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William Alexander Becknell was born in the Rockfish Creek area of
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Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture – Becknell, William
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19th-century American soldier, politician, and freight operator
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colonial explorers and traders for centuries before his trip.
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In 1827 Becknell was appointed as a Justice of the Peace for
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362:. Oklahoma Historical Society website. Archived from
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138:Map of the Santa Fe Trail, established by Becknell
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269:in northeast Texas. During the
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335:"The Life of William Becknell"
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360:"Becknell, William biography"
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113:had a monopoly on trade with
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560:United States Army officers
410:(1993). Barbed Wire Press.
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408:Violence Was No Stranger
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68:Private family plot off
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449:Santa Fe Trail Research
267:Red River County, Texas
252:Saline County, Missouri
177:Howard County, Missouri
164:Battle of Credit Island
58:Red River County, Texas
386:"Captain Wm. Becknell"
202:Missouri Intelligencer
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337:. Allan Wheeler. 2012
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109:French colonists in
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214:Louisiana Purchase
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