Butterfield Overland Mail

Butterfield Overland Mail (HM1AGG)

Location: El Paso, TX 79925 El Paso County
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Country: United States of America
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N 31° 49.395', W 106° 20.284'

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Inscription
The Butterfield Overland Mail was a mail and passenger stagecoach service that linked the Western and Eastern states. John Butterfield, president of the Overland Mail Company, won a federal government contact in 1857 to take and deliver mail twice weekly in both directions between St. Louis, Missouri and San Francisco, California. The service ran from September 1858 until March 1861, when events leading to the Civil War ended its operations.

The route had a number of stops, including a large, well-equipped one in Franklin (present El Paso). The route through West Texas, later known as the Upper Road, followed a path from Hueco Tanks into Franklin. Route changes led to the development of the Lower Road, which cut south and followed the Rio Grande through San Elizario and Ysleta. The Lower Road provided a more reliable source of water and better protection from Native American attacks than the Upper Road. Both paths converged at the Concordia settlement, where Concordia Cemetery is now located. The Butterfield Trail continued to Franklin and followed the river north to Cottonwoods (now Anthony, TX), then veered west. The route boosted commerce in El Paso and helped increase the town's population. It also strengthened the city's link to the U.S.

Stage service along the Butterfield Overland Mail terminated in 1861, although a Confederate mail service used the trail until 1862. The path later became the base for other routes, including roads and highways. Today, traces of the Upper Road remain visible on Fort Bliss and El Paso International Airport property. The trail's legacy continues to live through the commerce and people which it brought to El Paso, and its bonding of the town to the rest of the United States.
Details
HM NumberHM1AGG
Tags
Year Placed2008
Placed ByTexas Historical Commission
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, October 7th, 2014 at 1:18am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)13R E 373365 N 3521624
Decimal Degrees31.82325000, -106.33806667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 31° 49.395', W 106° 20.284'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds31° 49' 23.70" N, 106° 20' 17.04" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)915
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 606 Unnamed Road, El Paso TX 79925, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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