Santa Fe Trail Research Site, santafetrailresearch.com -- Welcome to Santa Fe Trail Research Site with information about how the Santa Fe Trail, also called the Santa Fe Road got its start. Opened in 1821 by trader William Becknell of Franklin, Missouri the Santa Fe Trail was first an international highway of trade and supply to the southwest. The Trail runs through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and New Mexico on its way to Santa Fe.