On the evening of November 17, 1829, Manuel Armijo and his caravan of about 60 men and 100 mules crossed the Las Animas River at a shallow point near here and made camp on only the 10th night of a three-month journey along an untested route. It was a dangerous and daring enterprise that pieced together ancient footpaths, incomplete maps, and early trade roads, and it would cross mountains, deserts, and treacherous rivers. The men and boys in the pack train made the journey to trade woolen goods made in Nuevo Mexico for horses in California, while the governor in Santa Fe supported the venture because success would strengthen his territory economically. Before 1829, goods from Santa Fe would have been carried south to Mexico City and then shipped north to reach California, but the Armijo caravan proved a direct route between Santa Fe and Los Angeles. Later caravans tried different variations on this strenuous journey, and together they became known as the Old Spanish Trail.