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The Butterfield Overland Mail Service (and Stagecoach)This is a follow-up to the article of the same title that I wrote (below).
After having written the original article, I continued to research out of curiosity. I guess mainly because there really isn't just a great deal of information available that can be authenticated. I have found a lot of bits and pieces - probably notes from someone that rode the stagecoach from/to intermediate points. But, finally, I was able to get my hands on probably the only authenticated source of information that covers the entire Southern route from St. Louis to San Francisco.
A Mr Waterman L. Ormsby, a reporter for the then New York Herald, rode the very first stagecoach from St. Louis all the way to San Francisco, documenting it as he went. This first trip started out from St. Louis around the middle 1856. As Mr Ormsby was able, he sent his documentation back to the Herald Newspaper who, in turn, published it in September, October and November of 1856, and was later put into book form. This book is quated from nearly exclusively.
I've run across several anecdotes expressed by some of the passengers that- on the one had I have to think "God, what they must have had to endure", and on the other hand I had really good laugh!
As the stagecoach/mail service proved itself, more and more passengers were opting to travel by stagecoach. It became commonplace for the stagelines to 'oversell' seats. On some routes there were probably as many people riding on top as there were inside the coach. It was not at all uncommon to have as many as twelve people in/on the coach. Now, keep in mind, the stagecoaches used to run day and night. There was no place with which to lie down. You simply sat up in your seat and slept as best you could. However, it is said that if a seated passenger did fall asleep - and fell forward - he probably lost his seat to someone standing!
Another comment made by a passenger after travelling many days was "no matter how bad you imagine this trip could be - it is worse!" Mr Ormsby was a bit more optimistic. He noted that the scenery was very rewarding. But, then, he had the coach to himself. He was also from NYC. And he rode the steamship back to NYC - even though it took longer!
Blessings, my friends
Lee
The Butterfield Overland Mail (and Stagecoach)The Butterfield Overland Mail (and Stagecoach)
Here in Texas, I live in, or very near a community that was once known as "Tate Springs" whose origins go back to around the middle 1800's or earlier. You won't find it on any current map. It no longer exists by that name even though most residents in the area that have been here any length of time still know it as such. Historical records describe it as "a Baptist encampment, and school". Tate Springs cemetery still exists. Tate Springs Baptist church still stands there and is very active in the area, and the school is also. The latter two have gone through many transformations over the years. I, myself, have lived here well over thirty years and my offspring, including a grandson, all went to this elementary school.
I have always known or heard that this area was also a stop on the Butterfield Overland Stage Lines, as were so many other places here in Texas. I discovered that the town of Fort Davis out in the Davis Mountains of west Texas was also on the stagecoach route. And further, on hiking trips in the Guadalupe Mountains National Park I learned of a place within the park that was known as "The Pinery" that, too, was a stop.
Located at Fort Davis, Texas
Over the years, I have often wondered about where the 'stagecoach' went, and particularly, where did the route that passed thru "Tate Springs" come from/go to. Other than all the hype that was portrayed in the old Western movies, which carry little or no authenticity, not a great amount of information has been available without doing some serious research, something I have often aspired to do - but just never got around to - until recently.
I have now done so much research that I no longer remember even how I started! What I do know is that the results have brought about some very surprising results to me. It's not what I had envisioned. So, what follows can only be described as my summation.
First of all, the route these stagecoaches travelled was determined by the U.S. Post Office. These were mail routes first with the added capability of carrying a few fare paying passengers. Some coaches seated only four, some six. Sometimes seats were oversold (sounds familiar, doesn't it?) and those without a seat were allowed to either sit on the floor, or if they happened to be carrying a gun(s) they were asked to ride up on top as robberies were prevalent in different parts of the country.
The Post Office awarded the mail routes which consisted of getting the mail from point "A" to point "B". Some routes were short, some were long with mail stops in between. Essentially, the idea was to get the mail from East to West or back faster than by ship. So,the actual route between point "A" and point "B" was left to the operator of the stage lines. And what determined that really was determined by the availability of fresh water along the way. A "relay station" could only be established where there was water because their purpose was to provide fresh horses or mules that allowed the stage to continue on (after a short people break). The actual ground route changed occasionally necessitated by a water hole drying up (perhaps seasonally) or maybe becoming contaminated from a carcass, etc.
So, in effect, a 'route map' may have existed but only as a line drawn from point "A" to point "B". The actual ground route was probably a far cry from that 'straight line', and it varied as was necessary. My research focused on the Southwest, or the area encompassing all or parts of Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. Butterfield Overland Mail had probably three major routes. One carrying mail from St Louis to San Francisco which I think consisted of a Northern route and Central Route. Because of the winter inconvenience, the Post Office opened up a Southern Route that they hoped would remain open year around. That did prove to be so, and the southern route thru Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and subsequently into California came in to being around September 1858. Mail was dispatched from both St. Louis and Memphis and united in Ft. Smith, Arkansas for points west.
The mail went through almost without exception in the twenty-five days allowed. Postage rate was ten cents per half ounce. Anyway, during my research I did find what a couple of the routes were. The problem is that many of the points mentioned no longer exist (by that name, anyway) such as "Tate Springs". The Pinery is no longer a spring, but a historical marker as are probably many others. What was known as Franklin, Texas is now known as El Paso! Below is one of the few maps that I've found that shows where basically the 'Southern Route' of the Butterfield Overland Mail Route traveled through Texas.
Another bit of information that I discovered was that all of this mail service by mail coach started somewhere in the middle 1850's. And it all came to an end very shortly after the beginning of the Civil War (early 1860's). Since the Confederacy was being supported by the Southern states which included Texas, and the mail routes were being financially supported by the U.S. Post Office, it became evident that support for all routes in the Southern sector was to come to an end.
At about the same time the railroads were making their presence felt, and mail contracts were subsequently being given to them. For a few years, there still were some mail contracts being let in to some remote areas of the country, but even those soon came to an end. To this day, I can take you to an area in Texas where freight is trucked in only when they have sufficient load.
I didn't really find out what I had set out to find, but the wealth of information that I uncovered was so interesting that I know I used up a lot more time that I ever thought I would have. The site that I used for most of my research has so many interesting links to follow that I found it hard to stop chasing them and to stick with my research.
For anyone that is wanting to research an ancestral name, an old town or village, the old ranches, local famous and infamous names, or any of many areas that I haven't yet researched but plan to, I give you the primary link below that I used. This site is continually updated as new information is discovered. So, I give credit to and highly recommend:
The Texas State Historical Association also credits the:
The University of Chicago (which was a focal point for much early history)
The University of Texas
and others as they have described on their site.
The Handbook of Texas Online is a project of the Texas State Historical Association
I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have enjoyed researching it.
Blessings to all, my good friends
Lee
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