Texan Santa Fe Expedition

A dramatic chapter in administration (1838-1841) of Republic of Texas president Mirabeau B. Lamar. Aware of United States-Mexico commerce crossing Texas by the Santa Fe Trail near the Canadian River, President Lamar sought similar trade advantages for Texas. He initiated the Texan Santa Fe Expedition early in 1841, with Dr. Richard F. Brenham, Col. Wm. G. Cooke and Jose Antonio Navarro as commissioners. Cooke began recruiting in April, forming an artillery and five infantry companies. Remainder of 321 members included merchants (with $200,000 worth of goods), teamsters, guides and others. George W. Kendall, of the New Orleans "Picayune", joined to write classic book on the venture. Travel was by 21 slow ox-wagons. First day's march, June 19, 1841, ended on the San Gabriel, and expedition's campsite is near here. Before reaching the Santa Fe Trail some 600 miles north, the men were to have torturing experiences with drouth and unknown terrain. Ill from hardships, the group was betrayed into the hands of Mexican authorities and sent as prisoners to Mexico City. However, this penetration of upper Texas gave the Republic stronger claims to her northern lands. (1970)

Texan Santa Fe Expedition is a historical marker in Georgetown, Williamson County, dedicated in 1970. It is one of 241 historical markers documented in Williamson County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 448 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 30.6451, -97.5924 near Georgetown. The nearest cataloged historic site is The Double File Trail (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Mankins Crossing, David Sackville Cooke, and Ischy Family Cemetery.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5491009362. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.