Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE SANTA FE TRAIL IN THE SIXTIES. Fifty years ago our schoolboy geographies showed a great expanse of almost unmapped region, named "the great American desert!" It may be said to have extended from 95 degrees to 105 degrees longitude west and from 30 degrees to 49 degrees north latitude. In the spring of 18(57 rumors were received from all quarters of a renewal of Indian hostilities and attacks on the principal emigrant routes increased to such an extent that it required the utmost activity on the part of the troops to keep open communication with our territories, and protect working parties on the important railroads then in process of construction. Since the Indian commission provided by act of July 20th, 1864, commenced its labors the operation of troops had been confined to the defensive, and they were principally engaged in guarding the more important posts. Department commanders visited th" scenes of hostilities in person and made every effort with the means at hand to afford protection. In 1867 some of the most powerful tribes ol! Indians were active on the Great Plains and tha Santa Fe trail came in for its share of attention from the Sioux, Kiowas, Cheyennes, Apaches of the Plains, Comanches, "Dog Warriors" and other bands of Indians. "The amount of freight carried by caravans from the Missouri river to Santa Fe, New Mexico, as early as 1860 was estimated at more than thirty-six million pounds, and emigrants with goods and stock made constant travel over the famous trail, enduring the hardships and surmounting the difficulties and dangers, continued through the 60 's to brave all these dangers, as well as traders and merchants carrying great supplies to the southwest." The great American desert as we saw it then for the first time in '67 has disappea...