Santa Fe Trail Historical Park

{{short description|California historic landmark}}

{{Infobox historic site

| name =Santa Fe Trail Historical Park

| image = DdowntownElMontewithsign.jpg

| caption = Downtown El Monte, with sign: "El Monte the End of the Santa Fe Trail"

| location= 3675 Santa Anita Ave, El Monte, CA 91731

| coordinates = {{coord|34|4|28|N|118|2|30|W|region:US-CA_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

| locmapin = Los Angeles

| area = one acre

| built = {{start date and age|1822}}

| architect=

| architecture=

| designation1 = California

| designation1_number=975

| designation1_date = Aug. 13, 1987

| designation2 =

| designation2_date =

| designation2_number =

| governing_body =

}}

File:Oldesthomein-El-Monte-1922.jpg

File:OldSpanishTrail.png

File:OldSpanishTrailmap.png

File:Santa Fe Trail sign IMG 0516.JPG]]

File:Grand Canyon Route of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway 1900-05.jpg mainline, including cattle drive destinations such as Dodge City. It is no accident that most of those Kansas, Colorado, and New Mexican towns were also first serviced by the Santa Fe Trail.]]

File:Arrival of the caravan at Santa Fe, c. 1844.jpg

Santa Fe Trail Historical Park, also called Pioneer Park, is located on the bank of the Rio Hondo River in El Monte, California. The location was designated a California Historic Landmark (No. 975) on Aug. 13, 1987. This was originally an encampment on the Old Spanish Trail. The Old Spanish Trail was an extension of the trail from Missouri to Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Gila River trail also ended in El Monte. By the 1850s, those in El Monte started to call the town the `End of the Santa Fe Trail." This claim is disputed by some, such as the Santa Fe in New Mexico. In the 1800s permanent settlements were established by immigrants from Texas and Arkansas, the first settlement in Southern California founded by citizens of the United States.

The state marker for the Santa Fe Trail Historical Park is located at 3564 Santa Anita Ave, El Monte, CA 91731. The City of El Monte held a ceremony to dedicate the Santa Fe Trail Historical Park on June 2, 1989.[https://www.californiahistoricallandmarks.com/landmarks/chl-975 californiahistoricallandmarks.com El Monte, First Southern California Settlement by Immigrants from the United States][http://ohp.parks.ca.gov/ListedResources/Detail/975 Cal. Parks, First Southern California Settlement by Immigrants from the United States]

El Monte built the (now closed) Santa Fe Trail Historical Park in 1989, near Valley Blvd and Santa Anita Ave. The one-acre park has two historic structures and a covered wagon. The park is on the west side of Santa Anita Avenue, just a few blocks north of the Interstate 10 in California freeway and south of the El Monte City Hall.{{cite web|url=http://www.villageprofile.com/california/elmonte/02/topic.html |title=El Monte CA | History – Presented by Village Profile |publisher=Villageprofile.com |access-date=2010-08-03}} Soon after it opened, the park closed. The land was cleared in 2023 to begin construction on a new park. The El Monte Historical Museum at 3150 Tyler Avenue showcases the Santa Fe Trail and El Monte's Historical importance to Southern California.{{cite web |url=http://home.earthlink.net/~jackbarton/ElMonteHistory.htm |title=A Brief History Of El Monte |publisher=Home.earthlink.net |access-date=2010-08-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100801231324/http://home.earthlink.net/~jackbarton/ElMonteHistory.htm |archive-date=2010-08-01 }}{{cite news|url=http://findlocal.latimes.com/el-monte/art/museum/el-monte-museum-of-history-el-monte-museum |title=El Monte Historical Society Museum – El Monte, CA 91731 | Find Local Los Angeles |publisher=Findlocal.latimes.com |access-date=2010-08-03 |first=Irene |last=Lacher}}