Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction - From Civilization to Sundown: The Santa Fe Trail Begins -- Chapter 1 - The Missouri Frontier: "To the Boonslick, to be sure!" -- Chapter 2 - "As far as we wish to go": William Becknell Leads the Way -- Chapter 3 - Life on the Trail -- Chapter 4 - Wagons and Merchandise on the Missouri Trail -- Chapter 5 - The F-A-R W-E-S-T: Missouri Trail Towns -- Conclusion - The End of the Trail -- Appendix - The Language of the Missouri Trail: A Glossary -- For More Reading -- Index.