In 1846, just after the Mexican-American War began, Brigadier General Stephen Watts Kearny brought a regiment of U.S. soldiers and volunteers from the Missouri River into Las Vegas, where from a rooftop overlooking the plaza he proclaimed New Mexico part of the United States. His army then crossed Kearny Gap, the pass directly west of this location, and proceeded toward Santa Fe. Expecting strong opposition from the Mexican army, Kearny's troops instead found that Mexican forces had evaporated as they neared the city, and the U.S. troops entered Santa Fe without a fight. The area was also tied to the beginning of the Santa Fe Trail: in 1821 Missouri merchant William Becknell made the first trip west to Santa Fe, and near this place Mexican Captain Pedro Ignacio Gallego informed him that Mexico had won independence from Spain, opening a political climate favorable to trade with the United States. Becknell sold his goods at a profit and returned to Missouri, helping inaugurate one of the great overland trails of the 19th century. Nearby trail sites include San Miguel del Vado Church, founded in 1806 as part of the first settlement encountered by early Santa Fe Trail travelers and home to a customs station that collected tariffs from wagon trains bound for Santa Fe; Las Vegas, New Mexico, a well-preserved trail-era town; and Watrous, where the Samuel Watrous store served as an important rest stop and supply source for travelers on the Santa Fe Trail.