DUANE
Duane's take
The official marker for the Butterfield Mail and Stage Line puts it this way — and I'll do my best to do it justice. Now, if you want to talk about ambition, let's talk about the year 1857. Congress passes an act — March the third, to be precise — authorizing one of the major horse-drawn transportation projects in all of history.
Not just Texas history. All of history. That's the marker's words, and I'm inclined to believe them.
The contract for semi-weekly overland service all the way to San Francisco, California, got awarded to a company headed by a man named John Butterfield. And if you think that name alone carried some weight, consider this: another stockholder in the venture was one William G. Fargo — express pioneer, the very same.
The two-million-dollar venture. Two million dollars. In the 1800s.
Let that settle over you like West Texas dust. The line employed some two thousand people. Hundreds of stagecoaches.
Thousands of animals. It pulled in receipts from freight and passengers, and on top of that, it collected a six-hundred-thousand-dollar annual subsidy just for carrying U.S. Mail.
The federal government was not playing around, and neither was John Butterfield. The company operated from September 1858 all the way to February 1861, running on a twenty-five-day schedule to cover two thousand, seven hundred and ninety-five miles. Eight to nine of those days — just for crossing Texas.
Texas alone. Which, if you've ever driven across this state, you know feels about right. The route started in two places: Tipton, Missouri, and Memphis, Tennessee.
Those two lines came together at Fort Smith, Arkansas, then entered Texas near Sherman and pushed westward — right through Comanche-held frontier. That's not my editorial — that's what the marker says. Comanche-held.
The coaches rolled on through and left the state at El Paso. Stage stations sat about every twenty miles along the way, and the best-known ones in this part of the country were Fort Belknap, Fort Phantom Hill, Mountain Pass, and Fort Chadbourne. Now here's a detail worth pausin' on: between Fort Belknap and Tucson, Arizona, the company switched from horses to mules to pull the coaches.
The reason? Mules were less appealin' to Indians. That's the marker's logic, and it's a practical piece of frontier thinking if ever there was one.
Each coach could hold anywhere from four to ten passengers, at an average fare of two hundred dollars apiece. Mail and freight? Ten cents per half ounce.
So whether you were a person or a parcel, the Butterfield line was happy to move you west — for a price. From September 1858 to February 1861, two thousand people, thousands of animals, hundreds of coaches, and two thousand seven hundred and ninety-five miles of American frontier. The Butterfield Mail and Stage Line didn't just connect the country — it dared the country to be connected.
And for a few years, rolling right through this very ground, it pulled it off.
What the marker says
One of major horse-drawn transportation projects of history. Was authorized by Act of Congress on March 3, 1857. Contract for semi-weekly service overland to San Francisco, California, was awarded to company headed by John Butterfield; another stockholder in the $2,000,000 venture was express pioneer William G. Fargo. The line employed some 2,000 people and used hundreds of stagecoaches and thousands of animals. In addition to receipts from freight and passengers, it had a $600,000 annual subsidy for carrying U.S. Mail. Company operated from September 1858 to February 1861 with a 25-day schedule for the 2,795 mile trip (8 to 9 days were allowed for crossing Texas). Route began in Tipton, Mo., and Memphis,Tn., uniting at Fort Smith, Ak., entering Texas near Sherman, thence westward through the Comanche-held frontier, leaving the state at El Paso. Stage stations were located about every 20 miles and the best known in this vicinity were Fort Belknap, Fort Phantom Hill, Mountain Pass and Fort Chadbourne. Between Fort Belknap and Tucson, Az., mules were used to pull the coaches as they were less appealing to Indians. Each coach accommodated four to ten passengers at an average fare of $200 each; mail and freight charges were ten cents per one-half ounce. (1969)