Heroes of the Santa Fe Trail

by Randy D. Smith

  A long time friend of Maxwell’s named Bill New established a homestead near Rayado headquarters. He was one of the civilians who accompanied Carson on the recovery of the livestock. Later that spring, New was plowing his fields when a band of Jicarilla Apache surprised him. He grabbed his rifle and went down clubbing his enemies with the empty single shot muzzleloader. Both Maxwell and Carson felt a great loss at New’s death. Carson referred to New as a “brave and experienced trapper.”

  The deaths, almost constant raiding upon the trail, and lobbying efforts on behalf of the grant, led to the establishment of a permanent posting of over forty dragoons of Companies G and I at the ranch, creating what was called Post at Rayado. A six-pound cannon and mountain howitzer added to the firepower of the defenders. The soldiers moved into Maxwell’s older home. New buildings were erected for the officers and Maxwell’s family. Sheds twelve feet wide around the inside of an adobe corral were built for protection of army horses. All of these facilities were rented from Rayado for $200 a month. This was a sweet deal for Maxwell. Not only did he profit from the existence of the troops to protect his ranch, he was provided a handsome sum to provide room and board for them and their livestock. There can be little doubt that influential political powers were at work to provide the protection and income for the ranch from government sources.

  With the coming of the soldiers and substantially increased income, Maxwell began the construction of a sixteen-room house facing onto a square that contained nearly an acre of land. The structure was flat roofed and adobe but Maxwell also oversaw construction of dormer windows and wide porches facing the front and the courtyard. The building was considered the best in the area at that time.

  The presence of dragoons and increased fortification of the ranch headquarters had little effect upon Indian attacks. Increased pressure upon the natural resources of the region caused reactive raids upon livestock by Indians as a way of supplementing food shortages. Ironically, the more pressure the whites placed upon the natives, the greater the pressure upon the Indians to raid the whites for food resources.

  The Carsons had assumed responsibility for raising one of Charles Bent’s daughters, six-year-old Teresina, after Bent’s death during the Taos rebellion. Bent and Carson were brothers-in-law. After several quiet months, Carson decided in November of 1850 to bring his family to the ranch. Maxwell had brought his wife to the ranch in 1849. Also present in the Maxwell household were Jesus Abreu and his wife Petra, who was Luz’s sister.

  Raids increased to the point that Taos citizens including Maxwell, Beaubien and Carson petitioned Governor John Monroe for a military expedition against the marauders.

  Brevet Major William Grier was dispatched with 150 men to Rayado to pursue the raiding parties. In the mountains west of Raton Pass the force attacked a group of Jicarillas. Although most of the Indians escaped into the forest, much of the stolen livestock was recovered.

  The Apache stole several hundred cattle from the ranch in November. Carson led a force of soldiers in hot pursuit across the plains to the northeast, killed seven raiders, captured a child and recovered most of the livestock.

  In the spring of 1851, Carson returned to Missouri to purchase provisions and merchandise and retrieve his Indian daughter, Adaline. On the return trip, Carson confronted some Cheyenne and was forced to retreat to Bent’s Old Fort. He sent a messenger to Grier to come to his aid. Grier arranged for a relief detachment that found Carson within twenty-five miles of Bent’s outpost. The experience caused Carson to soften his opinions of the Major.

  The army began to seriously question the efficiency of stationing small contingents of troops at distant settlements such as Rayado. By mid-summer a large compound at Fort Union was established on the Moro River and the Rayado post was disbanded. Fort Union was forty miles south of Rayado and the troops were removed to the new post. Carson purchased an old hospital at the fort and kept his family there through the winter of 1851.

  Protesting forcefully at the removal of troops at Rayado, Maxwell was able to convince E.V. Sumner, commander of the Ninth Military Department, to leave a force of a noncommissioned officer and fourteen privates at Rayado for another three months. In return Maxwell agreed to provide quarters and stabling at no charge. He was also required to escort Captain John Pope on an expedition to explore a plains wagon route between Rayado and Fort Leavenworth.

  Before engaging in that assignment, Maxwell and Carson joined eighteen others on a trapping expedition into Colorado and Wyoming. Many believe that the trip was little more than a pleasure outing for Carson’s benefit. The venture lost money for the partnership.

  Carson found himself in a touchy situation when he entertained several hundred Cheyenne at Rayado after returning from the trek. It was common practice for the ranch to supply hunting parties of friendly Indians with a few provisions as they passed through the ranch. Although Carson was on good terms with the Cheyenne, this was an unusually large group for the ranch to manage and a potentially dangerous situation. When an influential Indian brave became enamored with Teresina Bent he attempted to buy her. As best he could Carson refused the offer without the tribe taking offense. An uneasy truce was maintained by Carson’s diplomacy for two days until the Indians departed for raids on the Ute and Apache. Carson felt that if the raiders were successful the other tribes might return to take revenge upon the ranch. He was also concerned that the Cheyenne might try to force compliance regarding Teresina. He swiftly and quietly removed his family to his Taos home as a precaution.

  In 1852, Dick Wootton, the mountain man who had led the rescue of Maxwell at Macho Burro Pass, bought 9,000 sheep and took them overland to the gold fields of California. They produced an income of ten times what Wootton had paid earning more than $40,000. Rayado organized quickly to take advantage of the market. John Hatcher left with a flock in January, 1853. In February, Carson purchased 6,500 head in southern New Mexico and linked up with Henry Mercure and John Bernavette at Rayado for a second drive. Maxwell assembled and left with a third flock in March. He sold his flock in Sacramento and joined Carson for the return trip. It is estimated that Rayado made from $20,000 to $50,000 on the drives. Neither Carson nor Maxwell had ever possessed such a sum of money.

  The ranch entered into other sheep driving ventures to the Far West and probably earned more than $100,000 over a period of profits and losses. Much of the money went into Maxwell’s growing need for buildings and resources for residents. It should also be noted that although Maxwell claimed ownership of Rayado, he was obligated to distribute profits to many partners, landholders and independent contractors. The profits for individual projects may sound tremendous but so were Rayado’s expenses and obligations to its shareholders. There was also the constant financial drain upon resources caused by hostile Indian raids. No matter what schemes the ranch undertook, only Indian pacification would ultimately bring prosperity to the east slope of the Sangre de Cristos.

  In 1854, Kit Carson was appointed head Indian agent for northern New Mexico. He assumed the responsibility and broke off most of his association with Rayado. Carson’s dreams of wealth from ranching had not materialized and he was attracted to the steady income to better provide for his growing family. Although Carson related well with the tribes he had little sympathy for their conduct and could be quite ruthless when pressed.

  Carson encouraged a series of military campaigns to punish the Ute and Jicarilla. Elements from Fort Union under the command of Colonel Philip St. George Cooke hit the Apache hard near Raton Pass during the early summer of 1854. Nearly all the Indians’ supplies and camp gear were destroyed. Such a series of raids eventually wore the tribes down through starvation and disease. By September 1858, the Ute and Apache were ready to conclude a formal treaty with the United States.

  In the meantime, Lucien Maxwell accumulated substantial wealth. He felt it was enough to free him from dependence on his friends and relatives. By 1857, Maxwell was ready to leave Rayado and found a new settlement by
himself, without the influence of others. Maxwell began a process of buying other interests out of the ranch. He secured proper legal status of the original land grant. He bought out the Miranda interest for $2,000 in two installments and another $500 when congress approved the grant. He was able to obtain the Beaubien interest for a quitclaim deed of only $500. Maxwell sold that share immediately and it eventually became the property of Jesus Abreu. The major obstacle to gaining clear title to all property was the interests of the children of Charles Bent. It took many years of complicated court proceedings before the Bent heirs were satisfied.

  Waite Phillips

  Maxwell stayed at Rayado until 1857 when he moved his ranching operation to the Cimarron River. He died July 25, 1875 at the age of fifty-six of progressive kidney failure. For forty years Jesus Abreu raised cattle, sheep and horses at Rayado. His Pear Brand became known throughout New Mexico for high quality stock. Abreu died at the ranch in July of 1900.

  In 1929, Waite Phillips bought Rayado as a part of his Philmont Ranch, as a sheep station. In 1941, Philmont was given to the Boy Scouts of America, where it is a showplace for young American outdoor adventure and ideals. The original ranch headquarters were rebuilt in 1949 as an authentic hacienda of the 1850s. In the early 1970s, Philmont introduced a living history format to the restored headquarters and programs are continuously presented throughout the months of July and August, free of charge. Meals, blacksmithing, pioneer skills and team handling are only part of the demonstrations.

  For two decades the founders of Rayado Ranch struggled to stand against the elements of Indian resistance, massive expenses and heartbreaking losses. By the end of the 1850’s Rayado had become the foundation of what would be one of the largest and most prosperous landholdings in North America. The price in blood had not been cheap and the rewards proved only fleeting for all but a very few.

  Modern reconstruction of Kit Carson’s home in Taos, New Mexico

  Reconstruction of the original Rayado Headquarters near Cimarron, New Mexico

  Chapter 12

  Fort Larned–The Central Anchor

  Once a military guardian of the central leg of the Santa Fe Trail, Fort Larned is now a national historic site. It is the best remaining example of Santa Fe Trail garrisons.

  The grueling journey from Missouri to Santa Fe often took more than two months. Part of the Santa Fe Trail passed through arid terrain, and the travelers had to deal with hunger and thirst, as well as sporadic Indian attacks, especially from the Comanche.

  Many Indian tribes lived along the trail, as well as others that came into the region periodically to hunt buffalo. Along with the Comanche, the Pawnee, Arapaho, Cheyenne, Ute, Kiowa and Plains Apache provided almost constant contact and, at time, significant problems for travelers along the trail. Beginning in 1824, traders banded together in caravans for some measure of protection from Indian raids. After the Mexican War (1846-1848), activity on the trail exploded, as immigrants flooded into what eventually became Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and parts of Utah and Colorado.

  Fort Larned was one of several military posts established to provide protection for travelers along the Santa Fe Trail. The fort is now a national historic site administered by the National Park Service. Located approximately eight miles west of Larned in south central Kansas, the post served as the northern anchor of a line of forts defining the Southwestern military frontier. At the time of final building expansion in 1866-1868, the fort was constructed of such excellent sandstone materials that many of the original buildings are still standing in pristine condition, long after many other frontier outposts have crumbled into dust. National Park Service restoration brought the post back to a nearly new appearance and provides visitors with insights into military life in the 1860s-70s.

  Indian raids steadily increased with the greater usage of the Santa Fe Trail after the Mexican War. Fort Atkinson, established in 1850 near present-day Dodge City, was set up to meet the growing threat. Unfortunately, the post was built of sod, as were many early military installations on the plains, and was too far west to be effectively supported from Fort Leavenworth. From the beginning, post commanders urged that the post be relocated to the Pawnee Fork, where there was more timber and much closer logistical support. For four years Fort Atkinson safeguarded a mail station. When the station was relocated to Walnut Creek, near present-day Great Bend, Fort Atkinson was abandoned. The continuing attempt to safeguard the mail route led to the founding of Fort Larned.

  In 1859 William Bent, of Bent’s Fort in Colorado, was appointed Indian agent for the Kiowa and Comanche. Both tribes had been causing havoc along the trial, and Bent recommended the establishment of a military post at Pawnee Fork and another near his fort in eastern Colorado Territory to protect the area. His recommendations were put into effect within a year with the establishment of Fort Larned and Fort Wise (today’s Fort Lyon). Captain W. D. DeSaussure and three companies of the 1st Cavalry were sent from Fort Riley in early June to establish a new post. A Kiowa attack on a mail coach near Pawnee Fork in September led to the final decision on the location of the post. In October, Colonel Edwin V. Sumner ordered the 1st Cavalry to occupy a position near the mail station at Pawnee Fork. Some 75 officers and men moved to the position and established a camp on the Pawnee Fork. Within a week, the soldiers encountered Kiowa camped along the river and killed two in a skirmish.

  The small garrison was expected to build its own quarters and corrals. This was to be accomplished in addition to protecting and escorting mail coaches along a 140-mile stretch of the trail. In November, all but 30 men were ordered back to Fort Riley, but because of the size of the job, infantry reinforcements were soon sent to the post. On February 1, 1860, the post was renamed Camp Alert because of almost constant pressure from the Indians. In May 1860, the camp was relocated two-and-a-half miles upstream, today’s location, and several adobe buildings and dugouts along the riverbank were constructed. Most of the structures were built hastily and poorly. Repairs were made periodically, but the quarters were never clean nor comfortable. By September, the garrison was increased to 270 with the arrival of two companies of 2nd Dragoons. This large force reduced Indian raids, but by 1861, the Civil War was indirectly affecting the post.

  Regular Army troops were sent to fight in the eastern conflict, and most were replaced by volunteer units from Union states, especially Kansas and Colorado. As the war progressed, the Indians took advantage of the situation and increased resistance. A shortage of regular cavalry led to the posting of the 2nd and 9th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry to help repulse attacks. It was during this period that the post became officially Fort Larned. Later, elements from Colorado were also assigned to the garrison. Throughout the war it was common practice to significantly reduce the number of soldiers at the post during the winter months by quartering them at Fort Riley, where they could enjoy more comfort and protection at much less expense. Also, the Indians were less active during the colder times of the year. However, as raiding activity increased in the spring, so did the number of troops stationed at the fort.

  On July 17, 1864, a band of Kiowa raided Fort Larned and escaped with 172 Army animals. A reprisal force of 400 men under the command of Major General Samuel R. Curtis was sent out. Another post, Fort Zarah, was established 40 miles east of Fort Larned, but no Indians could be immediately found. As soon as the troops were removed, the Indians resumed their raids. This tactic of the Indians led one military leader to describe them as being everywhere and nowhere. The situation proved extremely frustrating for the Army during the Civil War years.

  In 1865, an escort system was established between Fort Larned on the east and Fort Union, N. M., on the west. On the first and 15th day of every month, an escorted caravan would leave each point. All merchants were expected to wait for military escort. East of Fort Larned, wagons were held up until a large group of at least 100 men could be organized to protect itself west of Council Grove. This proved a successful strategy and remained in effect until a
treaty was signed in August 1865.

  After the conclusion of the war, major steps were taken to update and improve the fort. Sandstone buildings replaced the original structures, and Fort Larned became one of the finest military establishments on the Plains. After the raid by the Kiowa in 1864, a blockhouse was built, measuring 22 feet on each side with 100 shooting ports and containing an underground well. The post was never directly attacked again, however, and the blockhouse became a guardhouse. Between 1866 and 1868, a new complex of nine sandstone buildings was erected. The complex still stands today and has been restored as nearly as possible to its original condition. At the center of the parade ground was a flagpole more than 100 feet high. Huge garrison flags could be seen for miles from the trail. The pole itself resembled the mast of a ship. It was destroyed in 1877 by lightning, but a reproduction presently stands at the post.

  Some of the finest sandstone in the world comes from this area of Kansas, and materials were brought in from at least three known quarry sites nearby. All of the buildings are extremely handsome, as well as being very comfortable and efficient structures.

  The first of these is a commissary storehouse at the east end of the south side of the parade ground. Because the post is bordered on three sides by the river, the south side was the most exposed to attack, and portholes were built into the south wall from which defenders could fire their weapons. The original blockhouse sits just east of the commissary, as well as a quartermaster storehouse to the west, which would have supplied quite a formidable defense of the south flank, had they been called upon for such service.