Butterfield Stage Line

Standing at the forefront of the old Butterfield road imagine the stage coach hustling along the old wooden fence line up the well-ridden ruts that are still visible today and coming to an abrupt halt at the rest stop.

The Butterfield Overland Mail route directed its route to Boggy Depot in 1858 from St. Louis to San Francisco. The Butterfield route covered 192 miles and was one of the principal roads, through Indian Territory, from Fort Smith, Arkansas, to Colbert’s Ferry on the Red River.

The passenger fee to travel from Memphis or St. Louis to San Francisco was $200, an enormous sum for the time. Most travelers were local citizens and the rate was 10 cents a mile.

As important as the Butterfield Stage was in its attempt to tie the country together, its life was brief due to the onset of the Civil War. On June 30, 1861, the last trip was made over the route of the Butterfield State Line.