THE BUTTERFIELD OVERLAND MAIL AND COACH
By
W. J. Lemke
The Overland Mail Company was organized in 1857 by John Butterfield of New York who had negotiated a contract with the U.S. postoffice department to carry all letter mail from St. Louis and Memphis to San Francisco. The government agreed to pay $600,000 a year for 6 years for this service.
The total milage from St. Louis to San Francisco, exclusive of the Memphis branch, was about 2800 miles. The contract provided for twice-a-week service "in good four-horse post-coaches or spring wagons." these coaches were made in New York and New Hampshire, and cost $1400.00 each. They were painted red, green, and yellow, bore the O.M.C. insignia, carried nine passengers. Most of the drivers were from the New England states, where they had served apprenticeship on other stage routes with which Butterfield was connected. The Overland Mail had nearly 2000 employees.
Passenger fare from St. Louis to San Francisco was $200.00. Drivers also picked up "way passengers" between stations who paid .10 cents a mile. Passengers were allowed 40 pounds of baggage free. The postal rate was .10 cents a letter. The Overland Mail operated on a time-table schedule. The average rate of travel was 120 miles every 24 hours.
Part of the route in Arkansas from Strickler(elevation 1560 feet) the Overland Mail road wandered down a narrow and rocky trail ten miles to the crossing of Lee's Creek. It is this ten-mile stretch that drew such comments as the Postmaster General's Report(1858): "It is impossible that any road could be worse"; and the New York reporter's, "I might say the road was a steep, rugged, jagged, rough and mountainous and then wish for more impressive words."
Hiram Rumfield, who was himself an employee of the Overland Mail Company, wrote to his wife in Ohio:
"No one who has never passed over this road can form any idea of its bold and rugged aspect. It winds along the mountainside over a surface covered with masses of broken rock, and frequently runs in fearful proximity to precipitous ravines of unknown depth. Over such a route as this the coaches of the mail company are driven with fearful rapidity... The stage reels from side to side like a storm-tossed bark, and the dim of the heavily ironed wheels in constant contact with the flinty rock, is truely appalling. The man who passes over this route a passenger in one of the Overland Mail coaches without experiencing feelings of mingled terror and astonishment must certainly be oblivious to every consideration of personal safety."
Where they crossed the Arkansas river at Van Buren, they first used a flat boat resembling a raft, but in 1860 there was a ferry "propelled by two horses walking around a sort of threadmill, or nearly horizontal wheel, communicating motion to the paddles."
The first west-bound mail left St. Louis on the morning of September 16, 1858 and arrived in San Francisco 24 days later---on the morning of October 10th. The first east-bound mail left San Francisco on September 14th and arrived in St. Louis on October 9th.
President(John Butterfield) of the Overland Mail Company's slogan was: "Remember boys, nothing on earth must stop the United States mail!"
Song For Your Enjoyment
Morning Sun
Jesse Colin Young
Next Page
Tom's Last Page
February 16, 2001
My Favorite Web Site
BlueClear's Link Page
Tom's Link Page
