The Road to Santa Fe: The Journal and Diaries of George Champlin Sibley; and Others Pertaining to the Surveying and Marking of a Road from the Missouri Frontier to the Settlements of New Mexico, 1825-

The Road to Santa Fe: The Journal and Diaries of George Champlin Sibley; and Others Pertaining to the Surveying and Marking of a Road from the Missouri Frontier to the Settlements of New Mexico, 1825- by Sibley, George Champlin. paperback edition. ISBN: 9780826315670.

George Champlin Sibley surveyed the Santa Fe Trail under the auspices of the United States government between 1825 and 1827. As he and two other federal commissioners worked their way down the trail, they treated with Indian tribes and mapped the road. Long out of print and now available again, this volume collects portions of the journals, diaries, reports, and letters that record the history of that expedition. Soon emerging as the survey leader, Sibley was the only commissioner to travel the entire length of the trail from the Missouri frontier to Santa Fe, New Mexico. His journal and diary express the voice of a prosaic dreamer and a practical federal official. Menacing horseflies and unpredictable weather, not Indian war parties, were the greatest cause of complaint by the commissioners. Kate L. Greggs skillful editing enhances the historical value of the journals and diaries of Sibley and his colleagues. Marc Simmons ably introduces the reader to the value of The Road to Santa Fe.