Texan Santa Fe Expedition
Georgetown, Williamson County, Texas
Marker Inscription
A dramatic chapter in administration (1838-1841) of Republic of Texas president Mirabeau B. Lamar. Aware of United States-Mexico commerce crossing Texas by the Santa Fe Trail near the Canadian River, President Lamar sought similar trade advantages for Texas. He initiated the Texan Santa Fe Expedition early in 1841, with Dr. Richard F. Brenham, Col. Wm. G. Cooke and Jose Antonio Navarro as commissioners. Cooke began recruiting in April, forming an artillery and five infantry companies. Remainder of 321 members included merchants (with $200,000 worth of goods), teamsters, guides and others. George W. Kendall, of the New Orleans "Picayune", joined to write classic book on the venture. Travel was by 21 slow ox-wagons. First day's march, June 19, 1841, ended on the San Gabriel, and expedition's campsite is near here. Before reaching the Santa Fe Trail some 600 miles north, the men were to have torturing experiences with drouth and unknown terrain. Ill from hardships, the group was betrayed into the hands of Mexican authorities and sent as prisoners to Mexico City. However, this penetration of upper Texas gave the Republic stronger claims to her northern lands. (1970)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Envious of the lucrative Santa Fe Trail trade crossing the plains, Republic of Texas president Mirabeau B. Lamar launched the Texan Santa Fe Expedition in 1841âa mix of soldiers, merchants with $200,000 in goods, teamsters, and a newspaperman, hauling their hopes north in twenty-one ox-drawn wagons. Their first day's march ended near this spot on the San Gabriel River. Six hundred miles of drought and unknown country lay ahead, and the expedition ended in betrayal, capture, and imprisonment in Mexico City.
Why it matters
Though a disaster on the ground, the expedition pressed the young Republic's claim to the lands stretching toward the upper Rio Grande, foreshadowing the territorial ambitions that would shape the American Southwest.
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Related people
- ¡ Mirabeau B. Lamar
- ¡ Richard F. Brenham
- ¡ William G. Cooke
- ¡ Jose Antonio Navarro
- ¡ George W. Kendall
Related events
- ¡ Texan Santa Fe Expedition
Themes & tags
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The Double File Trail
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