Can one man’s journey change history?
“Yes,” said writer and historian Deb Goodrich. She points to William Becknell’s 1821 trade mission to Mexico as a pivotal point in the history of the west. Now she is leading the effort to commemorate the bicentennial of the Santa Fe Trail.
Goodrich is a journalist, historian and television host. A Virginia native, she was a student at Washburn University who became enamored of western history. She is now historian in residence at Fort Wallace in Kansas. Among many other things, she chairs the Santa Fe Trail 200 committee, which is commemorating the bicentennial of this historic trail.
“In 1821, change was racing across the west like a prairie fire,” Goodrich said. “Missouri was a brand new state and Mexico was a newly liberated nation.”
Missouri was also in a financial depression. A Missouri salt-maker named William Becknell was one of those in financial trouble. He was on the verge of going to jail because he could not pay his debts.
In September 1821, Becknell and five companions headed west to hunt and trade horses and mules. They traveled hundreds of miles by horseback through challenging territory. Nearly two-and-a-half months later, they arrived in Santa Fe.
