Machine generated contents note: Part One: The Santa Fe Trail as an Avenue of Exchange -- (1806-1848) -- 1. The Ambiguous Venture of Zebulon Pike (1806-1807) -- 2. Many Nations to Contend With (1808-1821) -- 3. Foundations of the Trade (1821-1829) -- 4. Authors on the Trail (1829-1848) -- Part Two: The Road to New Mexico (1821-1846) -- 5. Embarking from St. Louis -- 6. Franklin: Cradle of the Trade -- 7. The Lure of Independence -- 8. Rendezvous at Council Grove -- 9. Into Buffalo Country -- 10. Conflict at the Crossing -- 11. Out along the Cimarron -- 12. Bent's Fort and Beyond -- 13. Coming into New Mexico -- 14. Accommodation in the Marketplace -- 15. Paths to Conflict -- Part Three: The American Conquest (1846-1848) -- 16. Gathering at Bent's Fort -- 17. A Bloodless Bid for Santa Fe -- 18. The Travails of Occupation -- 19. Reckoning by the Rio Grande -- 20. Uprising at Taos -- 21. Descent to Chihuahua -- 22. Costs and Consequences -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index.