dians at the battle of Blue Licks August 19, 1782. Their daughters, Susanna, Lavinia and Rebecca, who had married in Kentucky, continued to live there.

After Boone's removal to Missouri he never again visited Kentucky excepting upon two occasions. One of these visits was for the purpose of giving his testimony in a suit involving ancient land marks made by him. The other visit was made in 1810, after he had sold beaver pelts sufficient to procure a sum of money which he took to Kentucky and disbursed in payment of debts which he had incurred before leaving Kentucky in 1786. He paid his debts and rejoiced to say that he was at last "square with the world" and returned to his Missouri home, once more penniless.

In 1813 his wife passed away. She had followed him from her home on the Yadkin, through all his varying fortunes, and was buried in a long chosen spot about a mile from the Missouri where Boone himself desired to be buried. After the death of his wife he spent most of his time with his sons, Daniel Morgan and Nathan, and with his son-in-law, Flanders Calloway; but, when his health permitted he preferred to live alone in the cabin near Nathan Boone's house which he had built for his own use and which sufficed for his simple needs. Here he spent his declining years, but even then his restless spirit was stirred by the great tide of immigration which had pursued and overtaken him west of the Mississippi.

Even as late as 1818 he expressed his intention to take two or three whites and a party of Osage Indians and go to the Rocky Mountains "to visit the salt mountains, lakes and ponds and see these natural curiosities."

And so, even as his years drew near their end, his thoughts still turned westward to the land of adventure, to regions unexplored where he might find those conditions which from his youth had been his chief source of delight; and thus, without physical suffering and without mental impairment, amid kindred and friends he passed away in peace, at the home of his son Nathan, on September 26, 1820, in the eighty-sixth year of his age.

On the day of his death the convention for drafting the first constitution of Missouri was in session at St. Louis. Upon hearing of his death the convention adjourned for a day and its members wore crepe upon their left arms for twenty days as a token of respect to his memory.

Before his death Boone had the satisfaction of seeing his son Nathan live to be a skillful hunter, an explorer and a successful farmer; to win distinction in the War of 1812; and to enter the regular army, where he finally reached the rank of lieutenant-colonel and became a noted soldier in Indian warfare. His son, Daniel Morgan Boone, became one of the first settlers in 1827.

In the year 1845, with the consent of Boone's family and the state of Missouri, the State of Kentucky caused the remains. of Daniel Boone and his wife to be brought to Kentucky for reinterment upon her soil; and amid a great throng of the citizens of Kentucky, from far and near, the remains of Boone and his wife were placed where they now rest in the cemetery at Frankfort. But it was not until the lapse of many years that the state erected the simple monument which marks their grave. (Editor's Note. His farm was in Jackson County, Mo., adjoining the City of Kansas City, Mo.)

HOME OF NATHAN BOONE
In which Daniel and Rebecca passed away. The first stone house built

CHAPTER VII.

The Santa Fe Trail.

So much has been said about this great section of the road, constituting practically two-thirds of its mileage, that no apology is needed if in addition we give it a distinct chapter. Historically it began at Franklin, Howard County, Missouri, across the river from Boonville, the Western terminus of the Boonslick Road. Of course there was no such fixed and established "Trail" at that time, but this was the beginning of a growing commerce between this country and Mexico under the direction of Captain Becknal, a pioneer freighter and merchant, as early as 1822.

In 1824, Thomas H. Benton brought forward a bill in the U. S. Senate directing that the War Department should survey and establish a road beginning at or near Ft. Osage, in Jackson County, Missouri, to which the so-called "Santa Fe Trail" had been extended, and thence in a southwesternly direction to Santa Fe, the capital of a State in the recently established Republic of Mexico.

We have in this office a photostat copy of this survey together with all the field notes, etc., made by the Government pursuant to the Act of Congress, approved by President James Monroe on the last day of his term, to-wit: March 3, 1825. The Treaty for a perpetual right-of-way was held in a beautiful grove out under the shade of an oak tree, in what is now Council Grove, Kas. This trees is still standing and is carefully preserved by the people as one of the interesting monuments along the road. This, therefore, is the Centennial year of "The Santa Fe Trail." Benton afterwards standing on a rock and addressing the early settlers of Westport Landing on the river bank, and pointing toward the west, exclaimed, "There is the East-there is the Orient-where the oldest civilization in the world awaits our coming." And in a blaze of inspired prophecy he said, "some day, not so distant, there will be a double tracked railway reaching from the great city at this point to the Pacific Ocean."

Benton has been dead just thirty-six years and his prophecy was fulfilled last year when the last spike was driven, double tracking the great Santa Fe Railroad from Chicago, via Kansas City, to the Pacific at Los Angeles. Think of it! At the time of his prophecy there was not one mile of railway west of the Mississippi River. One historical feature which adds such luster

to the memorial feature of this road, making it indeed hallowed ground, is, that over it marched that imperial and intrepid Missouri Soldier-Statesman, General Alexander W. Doniphan, and his Missouri Volunteers to the capture of New Mexico, Arizona and California. His march has but one parallel in all the annals of war and that was the March of Zenophan. But there was only slight comparison. Doniphan's march was twice as long and through a hostile country. But what of his victories? Aye, indeed, what about them? Why this much at least: He added three imperial commonwealths to the galaxy of American states, almost without firing a gun. Securing the rear, he marched on with his "rough and ragged troops," into the heart of Old Mexico, for six months or more without information as to where the American army might be, and with no word from Washington or home, he fought the battle of Sacramento, which Military critics have given first place in military annals. captured Chihuahua, and then marched on and finally came up with the American forces. Critics were right. It has no parallel.

The maps of 1846 and 1847 show that the domination and influence of Mexico extended northward as high as the Arkansas River in Colorado and even to the north fork of the Platte River in Nebraska. Colonel Doniphan's famous Expedition, with General Kearny in command until arrival at Santa Fe, followed the Arkansas River westward and then turned southward by way of the Spanish Peaks near where now are the cities of Trinidad and Ratoon, on the National Old Trails Road. General Kearney started west from Santa Fe to California, and Colonel Doniphan following orders made a treaty with the Navajo Indians and then lead his expedition south along the Rio Grande. On Christmas Day the Missourians fought and won the Battle of Brazito, en route to Paso del Norte. where the City of El Paso, Texas, now stands. This highway along the river leading into El Paso, a part of the N. O. T. Road, is now called Doniphan's Road.

'Wonderful and arduous as had been the trail of this gallant band of Missourians thus far through an enemy's country, the marvelous part of this great march is still to follow. With an available force, numbering less than one thousand strong, Colonel Doniphan had been ordered by General Kearny to report to General Wool at Chihuahua, Mexico. Rumors reached the army at El Paso that General Wool had joined his forces with General Taylor at Monterey, Mexico, but nothing certain could be learned. There was nothing to be done but follow orders, and Doniphan with his army and the train of American traders and their wagoners, without faltering. went forward "to do or die." Colonel Doniphan's responsibility was very great and his undertaking stupendous, but his success was "brilliant and unparalleled". On February 28th. 1847, his army met and routed the Mexican army of four thousand two hundred and twenty men