Following the Santa Fe Trail: A Guide for Modern Travelers [Paperback]

Marc Simmons (Author), Hal Jackson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2001

Historic pioneer trails serve as some of the most fascinating links to our nation’s past and retracing them can be an exhilarating and educational experience. Following the Santa Fe Trail is aimed at assisting modern travelers to enlarge their understanding of the trail and increase the enjoyment that comes from following in the wagon tracks of pioneers.

Originating in Franklin, Missouri, the Santa Fe Trail was the first and most exotic of America’s great trans-Mississippi pathways to the west. Although the era of the trail ceased, its glory-days are still part of the collective imagination of America.

Complete with directions, maps, anecdotes, and historical information, Following the Santa Fe Trail takes the traveler on an authentic historic journey. Modern paved highways now parallel much of the old wagon route and with this guide a modern adventurer can retrace large sections of the trail.

Since Following the Santa Fe Trail first appeared in 1984, the trail was designated a National Historic Trail under the National Park Service and public interest has mushroomed.

This completely revised third edition now updates all directions and clarifies the changes that have taken place in the last 15 years.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Marc Simmons is an internationally acclaimed historian and author who has written more than 35 books on the West and Southwest.

Hal Jackson is a former geography professor at Humboldt State University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 236 pages
• Publisher: Ancient City Pr; 3 Rev Upd edition (May 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580960111
• ISBN-13: 978-1580960113
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,833,892 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars With directions, maps, anecdotes, historical information, September 12, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Following the Santa Fe Trail: A Guide for Modern Travelers (Paperback)

Now in a revised and updated third edition, Marc Simmons and Hal Jackson's Following The Santa Fe Trail: A Guide For Modern Travelers is written specifically to assist modern travelers who enjoy following the wagon tracks of pioneers. Following The Santa Fe Trail is packed with directions, maps, anecdotes, historical information, and everything else necessary to follow the trail of history. Now that the Santa Fe Trail has been designated a National Historic Trail under the National Park Service,it is bringing more public interest than ever to this fascinating pathway that transcends the generations. If the Santa Fe Trail perks your interest to, then Following The Santa Fe Trail is a must-read!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Santa Fe Trail Redux, September 8, 2001

By 

James M. Ryan (Plano, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Following the Santa Fe Trail: A Guide for Modern Travelers (Paperback)

Marc Simmons is the pre-eminent author on Santa Fe Trail lore and this updated version of his "Following the Trail" is better than ever! He has captured those significant, visible elements of the SFT that make it impossible to follow the Trail without this book. The pictures and maps are explicit and easy to follow. His stories and anecdotes bring the Trail to life.
If you're an SFT buff be sure to also read his book: "The Old Santa Fe Trail", a collection of essays; and his new book: "Spanish Pathways" on the history of Hispanic New Mexico.
Jim Ryan

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent travelers guide to the SF Trail today, January 10, 2006

By 

Bomojaz (South Central PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Following the Santa Fe Trail: A Guide for Modern Travelers (Paperback)

All those planning on exploring the Santa Fe Trail should have this book with them. It is an excellent guide, filled with detailed maps, very specific driving instructions, and a great deal of background information on the sites referred to. The book begins with a brief introduction, which includes information on general histories, other guidebooks, trail ruts, various markers and the groups that placed them, and a bibliography. Then Simmons gets into the specifics of the trail, beginning at Franklin, MO, proceeding through Kansas, and covering both the Mountain Branch and the Cimarron Cut-Off separately before continuing through New Mexico to Santa Fe (with brief side trips to Taos and Albuquerque included).

Simmons is interested in all remnants and markings of the trail and pinpoints even the most forlorn DAR marker. But it's his willingness to expose just about all that can be noted by the modern traveler (even sites on private property, though he is careful about warning against trespassing) that makes this guide book so valuable. This is the Second edition, published in 1986 after a careful note-taking retracing of the trail in 1985; probably a new edition is needed to update further changes made during the last 20 years (if it hasn't been done already). Highly recommended.