Santa Fe National Historic TrailPage 21 of 47
Who worked the Santa Fe Trail, and how they got their jobs
From 1821 to 1880 the Santa Fe Trail was a workplace for thousands of people, whether they traveled it or served those who did. The National Park Service says some chose trail work for the adventure and others had no alternative, and that not everyone benefited equally from the trail's success as a commercial route.
A Conestoga wagon with two people, possibly laborers, about 1862. Credit: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Ware Bros. Co., photographer.
Hard work, little protection
Trail jobs ranged from challenging manual labor to managing difficult relationships between groups to investing in trade. Laborers worked from sun-up to sun-down at physical work that was difficult and dangerous, with no labor laws limiting hours or setting pay. Many were paid low wages with no benefits or protection from injury, while some people grew very wealthy by investing in the trail without ever traveling it. For many the job was not a choice: people born into poverty or burdened with debts took whatever role they could find, while others had specialized training and could choose.
The roles
| Role | What the person did |
|---|---|
| Freighter (fletero) | Owned wagons and mule or oxen teams and often carried freight under private or government contracts |
| Trapper | Sold the hides of animals caught in the wild |
| Teamster | Handled mules and oxen and did the daily tasks that kept caravans moving smoothly |
| Rico | Belonged to the New Mexican elite and used wealth, reputation and networks to fund trail business |
| Wagon master | Was in charge of a whole wagon train of up to thirty wagons |
| Mail carrier | Transported mail across the trail |
| Bullwhacker (bueyero) | Drove ox- or mule-pulled wagons |
| Scout | Traveled ahead of wagon trains to find the safest routes |
| Ranch operator | Ran a business along the trail where travelers could stop for goods, food, entertainment, sleep and mail |
| Soldier | Protected caravans from attack or robbery |
| Interpreter | Used knowledge of several languages to help people of different cultures communicate |
| Wagon maker | Made and repaired wagons and yokes |
Who got to choose
The page's closing question is whether a role chosen by someone else, say by birth month as in its game, would suit you. In real life, it says, social status, family, wealth and access to education shaped who could pick a job, and many people on the trail had few options.
Sources
- National Park Service, "Laboring for a Living on the Santa Fe Trail" (https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/laboring-for-a-living-on-the-santa-fe-trail.htm); the page's birth-month role chart and two link pictures are left out; rewritten in hubnx's own words.