Tuesdays at Ten | The Santa Fe Trail Part 3

Join us at the library for coffee, socializing, and learning something new.

The Santa Fe Trail was the first great route to connect the people of the United States to the Hispanic world of the Southwest. From its creation in 1821 to the coming of the railroad in 1880, the Trail served as a path for commerce and cultural exchange. These talks will describe the peoples, events and adventures of travelers on the Trail. 

About the Presenter: Fred Christensen is a former history instructor at the University of Kentucky and assistant professor of military science at the University of Illinois. He teaches noncredited classes for OLLI and other venues, in five areas of history and archaeology: Britain, Germany, early American, Israel/the Holy Land, and military history in general. Fred is the current president of the East Central Illinois Archaeological Society. 

Tuesdays at Ten | Fall 2025

• Sept 2, Part 1: Background: the land, the people, origin of the trail
• Sept 9, Part 2: On the Trail: Westport to Ash Creek
• Sept 16, Part 3: On the Trail: the mountain route 
• Sept 23, Part 4: On the Trail: the Cimarron Cutoff
• Sept 30, Part 5: The Violent Trail: Comanche, Texans, and the Mexican War

• Oct 7, Part 6: Trails End: Santa Fe and New Mexico
• Oct 14, Preserving memories and digitizing media
• Oct 21, What is Science | How it works, who does it, and why we need it.
• Oct 28, Units of Thought, Agents of Mind: Resource Models of Human Cognition

• Nov 4, Civil War in New Mexico | 1862: Valverde
• Nov 11, Civil War in New Mexico | 1862 Glorieta Pass
• Nov 18, TBD

Adults | Social, Presentation, Discussion

Main Library, Robeson Pavilion Room A & B

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