William Becknell
| William Becknell | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1787 or 1788 Amherst County, Virginia |
| Died | April 30, 1865 near Clarksville, Red River County, Texas |
| Resting place | Private family plot off US 82 west of Clarksville, Texas. |
William Becknell (1787 or 1788–30 April 1865) was a soldier, politician, and freight operator who is credited with opening the Santa Fe Trail in 1821.The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century transportation route through central North America that connected Independence, Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. It served as a vital commercial highway until the introduction of the railroad to Santa Fe in 1880. But, William Becknell was often using long-established trails made by Native Americans and followed by Spanish and French colonial explorers and traders for years before his trip.
French colonists in St. Louis had a monopoly on trade with Santa Fe granted by the Spanish rulers before the Louisiana Purchase by the United States. When Mexico 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, and enable transport of more trade goods. Earlier travelers had ridden on horseback trailing packhorses. By 1825, he assisted a surveyor with the federal government in mapping the trail, to make it available for commercial and military use.
William Alexander Becknell was born in the Rockfish Creek area of Amherst County, Virginia 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.
Becknell married Jane Trusler in 1807 in Virginia. In 1810 the young family migrated to the new Missouri Territory, homesteading west of present-day St. Charles. During the War of 1812, Becknell served in the United States Mounted Rangers under Captain Daniel Morgan Boone, son of the famed explorer. He participated in several engagements, including the Battle of Credit Island 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 to the area around Boone's Lick and Arrow Rock in central Missouri.
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