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Businessman of NM Page 22 Quarterly Publication of the Santa Fe Trail Association volume 34 ♦ number 4 August 2020 New Mexico and the Cholera Epidemic of 1831-1833 Page 12 Career and Legacy of Manuel Armijo Page 14 Montgomery Bell: Businessman of NM Page 22 Hell on Wheels: Ellsworth, Kansas Page 26 On the Cover: The Plainsman by Ron Kil The Plainsman was the direct descendent of the frontiers- man of the eastern forests, the fabled long hunter, who hunted and trapped animals, and who fought Indians from the Eastern Seaboard to the Mississippi River. But changes were needed when the long hunter beheld the verdant prairies that rolled into the Great Plains and up against the Rockies. To cover those vast open spaces, he became a horseman. To knock down grizzlies and buffalo, and for an edge against war parties, he traded his old Kentucky rifle for a plains rifle of .50 or .54 caliber. He learned to trap beaver, and hunted buffalo for the meat and hides. Later he guided emigrants, traded with the Indians he sometimes fought, and piloted freight wagons in long caravans over trails he helped blaze. Correction: Ron Kil's painting, All Trails Lead To Santa Fe, featured on the May 2020 Wagon Tracks cover, was funded by the SFTA Last Chance Store, which has prints available. See more at www.lastchancestore.org. About the Santa Fe Trail Association The mission of the Santa Fe Trail Association is to protect and preserve the Santa Fe Trail and to promote awareness of the historical legacy associated with it. Follow us online at www.santafetrail.org, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube Wagon Tracks, the official publication of the Santa Fe Trail Association (SFTA), publishes well-researched and documented peer-reviewed articles relating to the Santa Fe Trail. Wagon Tracks is published in February, May, August, and November. Deadlines are the 10th of the month prior to publication. Queries are welcome. Complete submission guidelines are posted at www.santafetrail.org. Although the entire issue of Wagon Tracks is copyrighted in the name of the Santa Fe Trail Association, copyright to each article remains in the author’s name. Articles may be edited or abridged at the editor’s discretion. 2 Wagon Tracks August 2020 Quarterly of the Santa Fe Trail Association volume 34 ♦ number 4 August 2020 Contents 2 On the Cover: The Plainsman by Ron Kil 4 Insights from your President 5 Joanne’s Jottings Trail News 6-7 Rendezvous 2020, 2021 Symposium 8 Education, Jr. Wagon Master 9 In Memoriam: Ron Fox, Tony Juarez 10 Point of Rocks Closed to Public 11 SFTA/DAR Task Force Intro 21 Speakers Bureau 29 Membership Form A fandango is planned for the 2021 Symposium at Bent's Fort in 29-31 Chapter Reports Coloarado next September. Read the story on page 7. Illustration by Casimiro Castro y J. Campillo - Unknown source, Public Domain, https:// commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1565779 32 Town of Westport 12-13 14-21 22-25 26-28 New Mexico and the Career and Legacy Montgomery Bell: Hell on Wheels: Cholera Epidemic of Manuel Armijo Businessman of Ellsworth, Kansas of 1831-1833 New Mexico by Robert J. Tórrez by Matthew Saionz by Doyle Daves by Dr. Michael L. Olsen August 2020 Wagon Tracks 3 Insights from your President by Larry D. Short, President of SFTA Mark, on a job well done. Remember main accessible to the citizens who to “Share” the posts on Facebook visit the Trail daily. with all of your friends. It is amazing what the outreach of a simple one- We are endeavoring to hold our time post on Facebook can be. Deb SFTA board meeting and workshop Goodrich amazes me with the strong on September 25 and 26, 2020, at effort she puts forth to make our Larned, Kansas. While Rendezvous 200th commemoration a memorable has been cancelled, we have im- year. portant business to conduct at our board meeting, as required by our The new Santa Fe Trail crossing bylaws. The meeting will be held in signs for Union County (Clayton), the Haas Building, which will allow New Mexico, have been ordered by for appropriate social distancing for the National Park Service, and the the safety and comfort of all our at- 22 signs will be installed within the tendees. The hotel costs for our board next month or so. Our thanks to the members and chapter presidents will New Mexico Highway Department be paid by SFTA for two nights from and the Commissioners of Union the NPS funds that were originally We are surviving! With all of the County in supporting this project by allocated for the Dodge City meet- cancellation of meetings and events providing the posts, hardware, and ings in April. Of course, anything due to the COVID 19 we still are the installation along their respective can change between this report and moving forward with our goals at rights-of-way. the actual event in September, and the Santa Fe Trail Association. Plans we will make the proper adjustments. continue to expand in new areas as On a sad note, the Point of Rocks Stay tuned! we approach 2021 and the commem- Historic District appears to no lon- oration of the 200th anniversary of ger be available for public access due As always, I want to keep an open the Santa Fe National Historic Trail. to the recent sale of the ranch. We line of communications with our Many hours of telephone and Zoom are endeavoring to reach out to the members and encourage you to conferences have been held to ensure new owner to determine if a satisfac- contact me with any questions, com- that next year will be a great one for tory resolution can be agreed upon ments, or suggestions. Remember not only our members but the nation. so that one of the most iconic sites this is YOUR SFTA. along the entire length of the Santa Our committees take their tasks seri- Fe National Historic Trail can re- Stay safe and healthy, and hope to see ously to ensure that the entire orga- all of you in September. nization is running smoothly as we work our way through this pandemic that has engulfed the world. I want to point out the tireless ef- Thank you, Rod Podszus forts of our Publications Co-chairs Christine St. Vrain-Fischahs and Rod initiated the SFTA weekly Mark Brooks, and the fantastic job eblasts and volunteered for over they have done with SFTA’s social eight years to keep members and the media campaigns. Christine devel- public informed via this social media oped the new santafetrail200.org web tool. The eblasts have an "open rate" site, and Mark coordinated with Rod of 44% vs. an industry average of Podszus to ensure that our eblasts 24%. Rod kept the news coming de- remain an effective tool for SFTA. spite moving to a state far away from Rod has worked tirelessly for the past the Santa Fe Trail. Thank you for several years developing eblast as a your willingness to dig deep to stay major conveyor of meetings, news, in touch and find all the news, and and events to members of SFTA and thank you for your love of the Trail. many other interested parties across the nation. Thank you, Christine and 4 Wagon Tracks August 2020 Joanne’s Jottings by Joanne VanCoevern, Association Manager Mark Brooks, SFTA Board member age of the Trail will be given priority and Publications Committee co-chair, for inclusion in the program. Confer- has taken over as the editor of the ence sessions are ninety minutes in SFTA eblast. SFTA chapters and length. Most sessions will consist of members should send information on oral delivery of two or three papers or events or items of interest related to presentations, each approximately 20- the Santa Fe Trail to Mark at eblast@ 25 minutes in length, allowing time santafetrail.org. for a moderator's introduction and questions from the audience. Dead- A dedicated Facebook page for the line for submissions is September 30, year can be found by searching for 2020. Visit the Historical Society of “Santa Fe Trail 200th”. This page’s New Mexico website at www.hsnm. success will depend on how many org for updates, or contact the pro- people share the information and gram chair at robertjtorrez@gmail. “like” the page. com or (505) 836-9699 if you have questions.” Deb Goodrich, Chair of Santa Fe Although many meetings, committee Trail 200th, has been in contact with work, and chapter events have been Santa Fe Trail 200th Outreach events Bob Boze Bell at True West Magazine canceled or postponed due to COV- planned for May in Manhattan and about the Santa Fe Trail 200th and ID-19, the Santa Fe Trail Association Salina, Kansas, unfortunately were special articles. The National Cowboy remains very active and busier than cancelled due to COVID-19. At this & Western Heritage Museum, Okla- ever with routine activities. People are time we are looking forward to the homa City, will be having a special visiting our Geocaches on the Santa following events: Santa Fe Trail exhibit in 2021. Fe National Historic Trail GeoTour, September 4-6, 2020: Western Writ- committees are continuing work on The specially appointed DAR 200th ers of America Conference, Holiday their respective projects, and through Task Force has exciting plans for the Inn Rushmore Plaza in Rapid City, phone calls, email, or Zoom meet- Santa Fe Trail 200th and those will be South Dakota. Deb Goodrich will set ings, planning is continuing for future shared as they develop.
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