Butterfield Overland Mail

"Overland Mail" redirects here. For the films, see Overland Mail (1942 film) and Overland Mail (1939 film).

Butterfield Overland Mail
IndustryPostal service
Headquarters
United States

Butterfield Overland Mail (officially Overland Mail Company)[1] was a stagecoach service in the United States operating from 1858 to 1861. It carried passengers and U.S. Mail from two eastern termini, Memphis, Tennessee, and St. Louis, Missouri, to San Francisco, California. The routes from each eastern terminus met at Fort Smith, Arkansas, and then continued through Indian Territory (Oklahoma), Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Mexico, and California ending in San Francisco.[2] On March 3, 1857, Congress authorized the U.S. postmaster general, at that time Aaron V. Brown, to contract for delivery of the U.S. mail from St. Louis to San Francisco.[3] Prior to this, U.S. Mail bound for the Far West had been delivered by the San Antonio–San Diego Mail Line since June 1857.[4]

The route was designated a national historic trail in 2023.[5]

  1. ^ Waterman L. Ormsby, edited by Lyle H. Wright and Josephine M. Bynum, "The Butterfield Overland Mail", The Huntington Library, San Marino, California, 1991.
  2. ^ Goddard Bailey, Special Agent to Hon. A.V. Brown. P.M., Washington, D.C., The Senate of the United States, Second Session, Thirty-Fifth Congress, 1858–'59, Postmaster General, Appendix, "Great Overland Mail", Washington, D. C., October 18, 1858.https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.c109481050;view=1up;seq=745
  3. ^ Aaron V. Brown, Report of the Postmaster General, Senate, 35th Congress, 2d Session, Ex. Doc. No. 48, Contract with J. Butterfield and Co. p. 1.
  4. ^ Isaiah Churchill Woods, Report to Hon. A.V. Brown, "Postmaster General on the Opening and Present Condition of the Overland Mail Route Between San Antonio, Texas, and San Diego, California", by J.[I] C. Wood [Woods] Superintendent, Washington City, D.C., March 1858. Note: This 43-page report to the Postmaster General also contains references from Woods' day book.https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=miun.aft3376.0001.001;view=1up;seq=1
  5. ^ "S.3519 - Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail Designation Act". Congress.gov.