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Show 13 turned easterly and eventually crossed the Colorado River , at a point designated as the Crossing of the Fathers , and returned to Sante Fe , New Mexico . . ( ( Dellenbaugh Abs . R . Vol . . 1 , p . 445 . ) The prime object of the expedition was to ( estab- estab ) lish a highway for trade and travel between Santa Fe , New ( Mexico "Mexico Mexico ) , , and the California Spanish towns . . The Spaniards were experienced explorers and were builders of empires . They were skilled in the ( opera- opera ) tion of boats . After ( Escalante's Escalantes ) expedition an ( over- over ) land trade route from Santa Fe to California was established , known as the Old Spanish Trail . Between the point where the Old Spanish Trail crosses the San Juan River and the mouth of the Virgin River there were 700 miles of continuous river , and the Spaniards discarded the river route as one adaptable for travel . The trail crossed the Grand ( Colorado ) River near the present town of Moab and ( -from from ) the point where it crossed to the mouth of the Virgin River there were 600 miles of continuous river . . This river also was discarded as a means of travel . . ( 'The The ) trail crossed the Green River at the present town of Greenriver , Utah , and from this point to the mouth of the Virgin River there were 660 miles of continuous river . . The river route was again ( dis- dis ) , carded . . From the Green River Crossing , , the trail proceeded overland to a point near the mouth of the Virgin River through a country which was rough , , broken , , ( -and and ) barren and offered obstacles to overland travel ( -unequaled unequaled ) in any section of the United States . ( ( See |