Historian Dr. Frances Levine and writer Kate Nelson illuminate stories of women who shaped life along the Santa Fe Trail, from St. Louis to Santa Fe.
Wednesday, October 22, 2025
5:30 PM MT with a reception and book signing after the talk
112 Lincoln Avenue, Santa Fe
Hosted by the School for Advanced Research in partnership with Historic Santa Fe Foundation and the New Mexico History Museum
The Santa Fe Trail can be viewed as a nation-changing east-to-west trade corridor, but a deeper history lies along its path. In recent and ongoing research, Dr. Frances Levine details the long-overlooked stories of women and children who also traveled the trail. They were teachers and nuns, African Americans and Jewish, captives and orphans, diarists and writers, Army and merchants’ wives. Through marriages, businesses, and educational institutions, they forged a living link between Santa Fe and St. Louis.
In this special program, Dr. Frances Levine, author of Crossings: Women on the Santa Fe Trail, and writer and editor Kate Nelson will highlight the stories of a few of these remarkable women and their contributions to a shared history. In ways both tragic and triumphant, their stories reveal how the Trail transformed the histories of New Mexico and Missouri.
Register for $75 and receive a signed copy of the book at the event at a special rate (only $25, that’s nearly 30% off retail!)
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Frances Levine, Ph.D.
Dr. Frances Levine has had a distinguished career as a museum leader and scholar at both ends of the Santa Fe Trail. A resident of St. Louis and longtime Santa Fean since 1976, she is the author of Crossings: Women on the Santa Fe Trail, which draws on decades of work with archaeological, archival, and museum collections. She encourages readers to look closely at her preface, introduction, and endnotes for some of the book’s most intriguing details.
Levine began her career as an archaeologist for the National Park Service and later worked with the Bureau of Land Management in Santa Fe. She went on to lead the Palace of the Governors/New Mexico History Museum before moving to St. Louis in 2014 to serve as President and CEO of the Missouri Historical Society. She most recently held the role of Interim Executive Director of the Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum.
An advisory board member at the School for Advanced Research, Levine is also the author, co-editor, or contributor to multiple award-winning books, including Doña Teresa Confronts the Spanish Inquisition (2016), Frontier Battles and Massacres (2014), Telling New Mexico (2009), Through the Lens: Creating Santa Fe (2008), and Our Prayers Are in This Place (1999). She holds a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology from Southern Methodist University.
Kate Nelson
Kate Nelson has spent more than three decades delving into the stories the people, places, and communities of New Mexico. She built a career as a reporter, columnist, television host, author, and award-winning editor. From 2016 to 2023, she served as managing editor of New Mexico Magazine, where her storytelling earned her recognition in 2021 as Writer of the Year from the International Regional Magazine Association.
Before that, Nelson directed communications and exhibition writing at the New Mexico History Museum. Her 2012 book, Helen Hardin: A Straight Line Curved, is a biography of the groundbreaking Native American painter.
Now based in Placitas, New Mexico, Nelson has retired from full-time editing but continues to write and traverse the state she has long called home.
Featured Image: Letter from John M Kingsbury ordering the stone. From the Missouri Historical Society, Library and Research Center, St. Louis. Courtesy of Fran Levine.
Also check out other Arts events in Santa Fe, Literary Art events in Santa Fe, Trips & Adventurous Activities in Santa Fe.
