During the administration of Republic of Texas President Mirabeau B. Lamar from 1838 to 1841, Texas sought trade advantages from commerce between the United States and Mexico that crossed Texas by the Santa Fe Trail near the Canadian River. Early in 1841 Lamar launched the Texan Santa Fe Expedition with commissioners Dr. Richard F. Brenham, Col. Wm. G. Cooke, and Jose Antonio Navarro. Cooke began recruiting in April, organizing an artillery unit and five infantry companies. The expedition totaled 321 members, including merchants carrying $200,000 worth of goods, teamsters, guides, and others, and George W. Kendall of the New Orleans Picayune joined to write a classic book on the venture. Traveling in 21 slow ox-wagons, the party marched first on June 19, 1841, ending the day on the San Gabriel near this campsite. Before reaching the Santa Fe Trail about 600 miles north, the men endured drought and unfamiliar terrain, fell ill from hardships, were betrayed into the hands of Mexican authorities, and were sent as prisoners to Mexico City. Despite the ordeal, this penetration of upper Texas gave the republic stronger claims to its northern lands.