Franklin in Missouri Territory became the seat of Howard County in 1816 and, as the largest town west of St. Louis, served as the hub of the Boonslick country along the Missouri River, linked by the river and Boone's Lick Road to St. Charles and St. Louis. In 1821, William Becknell organized a party from the Franklin area to trade westward, and after reaching Santa Fe soon after Mexico won independence from Spain and removed Spanish trade restrictions, they became the first Americans to engage in legal trade with Mexico. Becknell returned to Franklin in January 1822, shared his experience, and organized a second expedition, encouraging other trading parties and helping begin a growing commercial connection between Missouri and New Mexico, with Franklin flourishing as an outfitting point for westbound traders. The town's decline came from the unpredictable Missouri River: after the flood of 1826, the newspaper and other businesses moved to Fayette, and after another flood two years later, residents founded New Franklin on nearby high ground while the river reclaimed Franklin, once called the commercial emporium of the Boonslick country.