THE BUTTERFIELD OVERLAND MAIL COMPANY BY PAT SEPULVEDA-MYERS
1848
was a tumultuous and exciting time in the history of the United States. The Mexican-American War was over, resulting in the acquisition of most of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada and Colorado. Gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill in California. And the concept of Manifest Destiny supported American exploration and expansion. The words that became that generation’s motto, “Go west, young man, go west,” resounded through the nation. All this migration created a need for roads, military protection and, most importantly, mail service. Congress had earlier approved mail service by ship, but that could take months. The transplanted people in California demanded a direct route overland. In 1857 the government finally put out a request for bids to carry U.S. mail and passengers from St. Louis MO to San Francisco CA. It specified that the service be performed using 4-horse coaches or spring wagons capable of carrying 6 PG. 48 :: FALL 2019
passengers, 3 sacks of letters, and one of newspapers. It was entrepreneur John Butterfield who won the contract of $600,000 per annum, using a Southern route. Starting in St. Louis MO and going through Springfield, the route veered off to Ft. Smith AR; went south to Sherman TX; turned west through New Mexico and Arizona; between La Mesilla and Tucson, it crossed the San Pedro River 1 mile north of present-day Benson and
went on to Ft. Yuma CA; drove across the Imperial Valley; and finally turned northbound to San Francisco. Politically, this was advantageous as an instrument of settlement and it gained the support of the southern (Confederate) sympathizers. Butterfield had only one year to establish this route, grade the roads, build and stock 200 stations an average of 15-20 miles apart, hire men to drive the coaches and to man the stations, plus develop water stations. And that’s what he did! Butterfield’s Overland Mail Company inaugurated its first runs in mid-September 1858. Totaling 2,795 miles, the transport took 23 days and 23 hours. Here was the longest stage line in the world and the first truly transcontinental road stitching the United States together. In the Spring of 1861, the North/South conflict caught up with Butterfield. Texas seceded from the Union and blocked 900 miles of the Butterfield Trail. Shortly afterwards, Congress passed a law requiring the Butterfield Overland Mail line be moved to the Central route used
