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sippi River to Spain. For 37 years, then, what later be- <br />came known as the Arkansas Valley was the property <br />of France. In 1800 this land was receded to France. For <br />a time this river served as a boundary between different <br />countries, and this included Texas during its indepen- <br />dence. <br />In 1803 the Louisiana Purchase would change the <br />ownership of this land to the United States. Lieutenant <br />Zebulon M. Pike was commissioned to explore this newly <br />acquired property to determine the headwaters of the <br />Arkansas River. Pike's reports, published in 1810, helped <br />to establish the boundaries between the United States <br />and Spain with their interests in Mexico in 1819. In 1821 <br />New Mexico declared her independence from Spain. <br />The City of Santa Fe was immediately seen as not only <br />a vital trading partner but as crucial to the opening up of <br />the adjacent United States property in the far west. Wil- <br />liam Becknell of Franklin, Missouri, and his business <br />associates immediately took advantage of this business <br />opportunity whereby much needed goods could be <br />transported overland by wagon train and /or pack ani- <br />mals to Santa Fe. In 1821 Becknell was credited with <br />establishing the route that the Santa Fe Trail would later <br />follow. Originally desirous of trading with the Indians, <br />Becknell traveled on to Santa Fe where he met with <br />great financial success. Other developments would soon <br />follow. <br />The first major business venture within the settlement <br />of these rolling prairies was Bent's Fort, located approxi- <br />mately 100 miles from the mountains on the distant <br />horizon. Built in 1833, the fort would stand until 1852 <br />2 <br />