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61-613: First envisioned by the Northwest Arkansas Regional Planning Commission (NWARPC) during long-range planning that identified regional trails, the project came to fruition following the creation of a task force, public meetings, and coordination among NWA communities. Initially, the route was to follow three historically significant routes in NWA: the Butterfield Overland Mail route; Civil War routes; and

122-457: A Butterfield stage and wrote the following: "After leaving this station [Arizona's San Pedro River Stage Station], the conductor asked 'how many of us were armed', and requested that those who had arms should have them ready for use, as we now were in the Apache country. Guns and pistols were produced, and we rode all night with them in our hands." This draft animal-drawn passenger and mail stage had

183-413: A favorite with some, for, though only opened one month before I passed over it, it was already pretty well marked with wagon tracks . …It must of course improve with every day of its use." Another Texas section: "The new road from Grape Creek to the head of Concho River, Texas, on Mr. Glover's division, is also in good order for travel and saves another thirty miles [the total length for this new section

244-659: A land route to deliver mail from the East to the West coast, but to aid emigrant travel to settle the West. Butterfield accomplished this purpose by providing an improved trail and water sources at regularly spaced stage stations. When researchers hike the Southern Overland Corridor, the most visible ruts are those of the route that the Overland Mail Company established, which others followed. Even though its services ceased on

305-524: A large increase in the number of emigrants on the trail. The San Antonio and San Diego Mail Line was operating on 900 miles of the improved trail and benefited by the regularly spaced water holes at Butterfield's stations. In October 1859, Superintendent Isaiah C. Woods complimented Butterfield for these improvements and the benefit to the San Antonio and San Diego Mail Line: "The San Diego Overland Route – Interesting News – From I.C. Woods, who has just crossed

366-568: A manner which would be a model in any country. The immigrants are coming slowly along, feeling in no hurry to enter California much before the rains have brought on the new grass. The stations of the Overland Mail companies and the wells dug by these enterprising men, are proving of incalculable benefit to those crossing with their own teams. The immigration on the Southern route, this year, will figure up from ten thousand to fifteen thousand souls, with

427-496: A sharp rebuttal from a Washington, D.C., newspaper. Mail Contract No. 12,578 for $ 600,000 per annum for a semi-weekly service was assigned to John Butterfield of Utica, New York , who was president for the contract that was named the Overland Mail Company. This was the longest mail contract awarded in the United States . It was a stockholding company and the main stockholders, besides John Butterfield, were also fellow directors of

488-614: A stagecoach and a mail stagecoach is that a large compartment was provided below the driver's seat to carry mail and the rear boot for mail was larger. Butterfield's stagecoaches were used on 30% of the Southern Overland Trail at the eastern and western ends. Aaron V. Brown Aaron Venable Brown (August 15, 1795 – March 8, 1859) was an American politician . He served as the 11th Governor of Tennessee from 1845 to 1847, and as United States Postmaster General from 1857 until his death in 1859. He also served three terms in

549-432: A strong sub-frame covered by decorated wooden paneling with ornate doors and comfortably padded seats. They often had window openings, but the western models designed for the rougher conditions had no glass panels. The roof was strong enough to support a metal railing where luggage could be carried. Seats were often provided on the roof. A canvas-covered boot at the back was used for luggage and mailbags. The difference between

610-494: A very large amount of cattle and sheep. The old complaints of the immigrants are at present unheard of, owing to the better knowledge of the country now so readily obtained .” As noted above, the route from San Francisco to Fort Smith was the same for both routes. Travel time from Fort Smith to Memphis was about the same as to St. Louis. Management of the route from Fort Smith to Memphis was included in Division 8 . However, because of

671-453: Is 122 miles]. The New Pass between Los Angeles, and Fort Tejon, California, has been much improved under the superintendence of M.L. Kinyon [Kenyon], as have also been other portions of the route. The route of the company will, of course, be a favorite emigrant route, and will, therefore, be in better order than before, in fact, each month will add new facilities to the overland mail." Goddard Bailey's report shows that there were 139 stations at

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732-652: The Compromise of 1850 . This motion was voted down, but the convention did put aside, at least temporarily, the issue of secession. Brown was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1852 where Franklin Pierce and William R. King were nominated. In 1854, he delivered an address to the University of North Carolina's literary societies. Brown attended the 1856 Democratic National Convention, where he

793-610: The Daily Alta California the following: "Between Vallecito and Algodones there are eight of these stations, varying from nine to sixteen miles apart. Wells have been sunk at each station, and abundance of good water is obtained, except at the Monument and Garden stations. These waters are brackish and bitter—a flavor not delicate to the taste. Drinking-water is carried from the other stations. These stations are of incalculable worth to emigrants, who are no longer forced to depend upon

854-593: The Democratic nomination for governor in 1845. The incumbent, James C. Jones , a popular Whig, was not seeking reelection, and the Whigs instead nominated Senator Ephraim H. Foster . In the general election, Brown lost East Tennessee and West Tennessee , but won enough votes in populous Middle Tennessee to carry the election by 1,400 votes out of 115,000 cast. When the Mexican–American War began, largely through

915-843: The St. Francis River . From there the route headed overland by stagecoach. When the Arkansas River was high enough, the mail could instead travel from Memphis by steamboat down the Mississippi to the mouth of the Arkansas River, navigate up that river to Little Rock, and on from there by stagecoach. When the Arkansas was too low for steamboat traffic, the Butterfield could take the White River to Clarendon, Arkansas , or Des Arc, Arkansas , before switching to

976-604: The Tennessee House of Representatives , from 1831 to 1835. In 1839, he defeated incumbent Ebenezer J. Shields for the 10th District congressional seat, and won reelection to this seat in 1841. In 1843, he was redistricted to the 6th District , which he represented in Congress for a single term. As a congressman, he lobbied for the annexation of Texas in 1843. After his third term in Congress, Brown initially planned to retire and focus on his business affairs, but he accepted

1037-680: The Trail of Tears in conjunction with the Arkansas Heritage Trails program. A grant from the Walton Family Foundation in 2009 for up to $ 15 million ($ 21.3 million in current dollars) requiring 1-to-1 match from partner cities provided a revenue source for planning and design. The routing was also finalized during public meetings to serve many community attractions. A $ 15 million ($ 21 million in current dollars) Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant from

1098-963: The U.S. Department of Transportation , Federal Highway Administration in 2010 assisted in right-of-way acquisition and construction of the project. The Arkansas State Highway Commission also provided $ 855,000 ($ 1.13 million in current dollars) to the project. As of 2017, a report by the Walton Family Foundation, using data collected by San Diego State University, found that weekday bicycle volume (187 cyclists per day) and weekend volume (336 per day) had increased between 2015 and 2017 by 32% and 14% respectively. Similarly, weekday pedestrian volume as of 2017 (166 pedestrians per day) and weekend volume (203 per day) had increased by about 5% and 19% respectively. The report also found Northwest Arkansas's cyclists per capita to be 5.45 cyclists per 1,000 people, and pedestrians per capita to be 5.78 pedestrians per 1,000 people as of 2017. The Greenway serves

1159-555: 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. 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. The route was designated a national historic trail in 2023. John Butterfield was a descendant of Benjamin Butterfield, who brought his family from England to

1220-652: The United States House of Representatives , from 1839 to 1845. During the Mexican–American War , Brown's statewide call for 2,800 volunteers was answered by over 30,000, helping solidify the state's reputation as the "Volunteer State." Brown was born in Brunswick County, Virginia , one of eleven children of Aaron and Elizabeth Melton Brown. His father was a Methodist minister. Brown attended Westrayville Academy in Nash County, North Carolina , and graduated from

1281-599: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1814, where he was valedictorian of his class. He studied law with Judge James Trimble in Nashville, Tennessee , and was admitted to the bar in 1817. In 1818, he moved to Giles County, Tennessee , and became the law partner of future president James K. Polk . Brown was a member of the Tennessee Senate from 1821 to 1825 and from 1827 to 1829. He also served two terms in

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1342-460: The Butterfield Trail. In 1858, with expedition leader Marquis L. Kenyon, John Butterfield Jr. helped to select the route and sites for the stage stations. Kenyon was also a stockholder/director of the Overland Mail Company and the only stockholder, other than John Butterfield, to have significant staging experience. Marquis moved from Mannsville, Jefferson County, to Rome, New York, in 1838. Rome

1403-578: The Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638. His father, Daniel Butterfield, lived at Berne , in the Helderberg , near Albany, N.Y., where John was born. He attended schools near his boyhood home, but his education was meager. John's early involvement with stage lines started about 1820. "John Butterfield was borne at Berne, in the Helderberg, near Albany, November 18, 1801. In early life we find him in

1464-475: The Mississippi River westward. Nine bids were made by some of the most experienced stage men. None of the express companies, such as American Express , Adams Express , or Wells Fargo & Co. Express , bid on the contract because, as of yet, they had no experience running stage lines. A suggestion by The New York Times that the express companies could do a better job than the Overland Mail Company drew

1525-508: The North, and South to the Pennsylvania line, and through Chemung and Susquehanna valleys." By 1857, when John was awarded the Overland Mail Company contract, he had had 37 years of experience working for and running stage lines. This was one of the reasons that Postmaster General A.V. Brown awarded him the contract. Through the 1840s and 1850s there was a desire for better communication between

1586-545: The Pacific coast, which left this city on the 3rd of January last, reached Fort Smith, Arkansas, on their return home, on the 17th inst., accompanied by four of the party which left San Francisco on the 16th of January, on purpose to examine that portion of the route from the Pacific to the Rio Grande. They left El Paso on the 22d of March, thus accomplishing the distance from the Rio Grande to Fort Smith—nine hundred and thirty miles—in

1647-468: The Southern Overland Corridor in March 1861 because of the impending Civil War, it was so efficient that it remained little changed until its demise with the completion of the railroad in 1880. For this reason, to this day, the Southern Overland Trail is most commonly called "The Butterfield Trail." The building of the trail was in two sections: the 462-mile (744 km) San Francisco to Los Angeles section and

1708-516: The U.S. Post Office, which went into effect on September 16, 1858, identified the route and divided it into eastern and western divisions. Franklin, Texas , later to be named El Paso , was the dividing point and these two were subdivided into minor divisions, five in the East and four in the West. These minor divisions were numbered west to east from San Francisco, each under the direction of a superintendent. John Butterfield Sr. turned to two of his most trusted and experienced employees to put in place

1769-462: The actions of his friend and former law partner, Polk, who was now president, Brown issued a call for 2,800 volunteer soldiers for the war effort. Over 30,000 answered the call, solidifying the state's reputation as the "Volunteer State," a reputation that had been gained when Tennesseans answered a similar call during the War of 1812 . While initially popular, support for the war gradually declined, and Brown

1830-452: The arrival of the two parties at Fort Smith, Arkansas, and tells us that the choice for the trail did not satisfy Kenyon and his party and they returned from El Paso, Texas, by a different route, which became the trail. "A portion of the exploring party sent out by the Overland Mail Company, for the purpose of examining the routes for the carriage of the mails from the Valley of the Mississippi to

1891-402: The beginning of Butterfield's service, but by the time the line ceased operations the line had been improved by the addition of thirty-six more for a total of 175. The new stations were assigned 320 acres each and many took advantage by growing crops which aided the line. Although there were springs and rain-fed waterholes along the trail, many did not have a sufficient water capacity to supply

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1952-599: The company: William B. Dinsmore of New York City ; William G. Fargo of Buffalo, New York ; James V.P. Gardner of Utica, New York; Marquis L. Kenyon of Rome, New York; Alexander Holland of New York City; and Hamilton Spencer of Bloomington, Illinois. There were four others known as sureties (security against loss). Almost all of the stockholders were connected to other businesses in Upstate New York and most lived near Butterfield's home in Utica, New York. Alexander Holland

2013-775: The continent on the San Diego and San Antonio Line, says the San Diego Herald , we gather some items which may be of interest: Woods pays a high compliment to the staging of the Butterfield Overland Company, along the Gila and over the Desert, particularly to Superintendent Buckley and Warren Hall, the Road Agent of this division [for Butterfield's Overland Mail Company. They have, he says, really worked wonders in organizing their road in

2074-577: The east and west coasts of the United States. There were several proposals for railroads connecting the two coasts. A more immediate realization was an overland mail route across the west. Congress authorized the Postmaster General to contract for mail service from Missouri to California to facilitate settlement in the west. The Post Office Department advertised for bids for an overland mail service on April 20, 1857. Bidders were to propose routes from

2135-408: The employment of Thorpe & Sprague, of that city, as a driver, and through the solicitation of Mr. Theodore S. Faxton came to Utica [NY], where he for a time was employed in picking up passengers from the taverns and boats for Parker's stages. After a time he started a livery [1827] with but small accommodations… His connection to Parker & Co. continued so long as they were still in business, and

2196-789: The following community attractions: 36°20′08″N 94°11′25″W  /  36.33565°N 94.19035°W  / 36.33565; -94.19035 Butterfield Overland Mail Butterfield Overland Mail (officially Overland Mail Company ) 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. On March 3, 1857, Congress authorized

2257-460: The idea of a "shotgun" rider next to the driver was not employed by Butterfield. When correspondent Ormsby asked one of the stage drivers, "Have you any arms?", the stage driver answered, "No, I don't have any; there's no danger." However, most people on the Butterfield stages were armed, especially in Comanche and Apache territory. In October 1859 correspondent Farwell was a passenger heading east on

2318-473: The introduction of railroads, he continued to carry on the business of mail contractor and stage proprietor on the small lateral lines; but his business energies were too expansive to be thus curtailed, and he soon found ampler vent for them than the _______ of his former vast carrying business afforded. Hence, when the overland mail route to California was projected, Mr. Kinyon [Kenyon] found a field of business enterprise more commensurate with his capacities. He it

2379-501: The line and emigrants. These were dug out to hold a larger capacity. Cisterns were constructed at some of the stations and water wagons were used to transport water from distant sources to fill the cisterns. At the Hueco Tanks in Texas, correspondent Ormsby tells of the tanks being enlarged by Butterfield to hold a year's supply of water. In June 1860 Butterfield passenger Wallace reported to

2440-584: The many improvements on the Texas side of the Red River starting about eight miles below Preston. A lengthy new section of road in Texas is described: "Another disadvantage under which we labored, this trip, was that our road, for the most of the way, was nearly new, though Mr. Bates claims that from Sherman to [Fort] Belknap at least forty miles are saved by it. It leads through the counties of Grayson, Cooke, Jacks [Jack], Montague, Wise, and Young, all of which contribute towards its expenses, and certainly it must be

2501-546: The most famous is Vallecito , which is preserved as a historic site. Kenyon's hardest task building the trail was east of Los Angeles, where his trail was mostly in the open desert. Waterman L. Ormsby, the correspondent for the New York Herald , a passenger on the first stagecoach going west in September 1858, wrote in his reports of Marquis L. Kenyon's part in building the trail and the advantage for emigrants. He writes about

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2562-573: The opinion of Brown, greater ability, qualification and experience than anybody else to carry out a mail service, John Butterfield & Co. was selected and preferred. The route, known as the Oxbow Route because of its long curving route through the Southwest , was 600 miles (970 km) longer than the Central Overland Trail, but had the advantage of being snow free. The contract with

2623-407: The party proceeding East. The route traveled on the return trip was different from the one passed over in going out, ... " John Jr.'s obituary summarized his accomplishment: "John Butterfield [Jr.], the man who helped link the East to the West in establishing his famous Overland Mail Route more than half a century ago, died recently at his house in Utica, aged 82 years. His father, John Butterfield,

2684-459: The precious supply of water which the wells, afforded, and which were liable to be covered up by the sand-waves that move over the desert." Other improvements to the trail by Butterfield were the building of bridges: "Fourteen miles from Boggy Depot [Indian Territory now Oklahoma] we came to Blue River station, where a heavy bridge is building for the company." There were two bridges in Arizona. One

2745-424: The rest of the 2,238-mile (3,602 km) distance to Tipton, Missouri. The San Francisco to Los Angeles section was previously one of the most developed. Some changes were made from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Settlements and wagon roads used by local stage lines were strung out between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Some existing structures, such as ranch houses and hotels were contracted as stage stations. One of

2806-520: The result. It is a glorious triumph for civilization and the Union. Settlements will soon follow the course of the road, and the East and West will be bound together by a chain of living Americans, which can never be broken." As stated by President Buchanan in the congratulation telegram to John Butterfield, increased emigration would be a result of the improved trail. Just after Butterfield's service started in September 1858, there were many newspaper accounts of

2867-445: The sense of recovering] a few days, the above gentlemen left for this city—making the trip to this place in twenty-two days from El Paso, and thirty-one days from San Francisco to El Paso, or fifty-six days, through with wagons. …The party from California, in crossing Arizona, took a middle route between Beale's and the Southern route – (but little traveled heretofore,) pronounced by them, as an excellent road." Another report describes

2928-532: The short space of twenty-five days, which we believe is the quickest time on record in crossing the Plains. The party was composed of only eight men, as follows: Major George W. Wood, Jesse Tolcott, Charles P. Cole and J.A. Lilly, of the St. Louis party, and Lieut. Frank de Ryther, James Swartz and John Butterfield Jr. of the San Francisco party. They brought with them one wagon and thirteen animals, which they left at Fort Smith for

2989-482: The stage-coach line of which he was an employee; and once having placed his foot on the first steps of the ladder, he soon rose, by his business tact and assiduity, to be the principal proprietor of the stage-coach lines converging to this point. At the time that railroads supplanted stages on the leading routes, Mr. Kinyon [Kenyon] was one of the most extensive owners of stage-coach property in Central New York. After

3050-503: The stagecoaches. Sometimes the entire route across eastern Arkansas would be by stage. No one on a Butterfield stage was ever killed by outlaws, but some died in accidents caused by the mostly unbroken mules or mustangs running wild. Butterfield's stages were not allowed to carry shipments of valuables. In Butterfield's instructions to his employees was "No money, jewelry, bank notes, or valuables of any nature, will be allowed to be carried under any circumstances whatever." For this reason,

3111-516: The trail and immediately sent his hand-picked team, headed by Marquis L. Kenyon, to San Francisco to begin the task. The steamer Star of New York left New York on November 20, 1857, with passengers "M.L. Kinyon [Kenyon], J. Butterfield [Jr.], F. De Ruyter and S.K. Nellis, who go out to open the Pacific Mail Route across the plains and arrange the western terminus of said route." The party left San Francisco on January 16, 1858, to begin laying out

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3172-418: The trail and selecting the sites for stage stations. They traveled by mule covering about 40 miles (64 km) per day. Another party left St. Louis about the same time. Both were to meet at El Paso, Texas, and then return to St. Louis. The party from St. Louis was G.W. Wood, Jesse Talcott, and Charles P. Cole. A Fort Smith, Arkansas, newspaper reported: "The parties met at El Paso and after recruiting [used in

3233-514: The untamed nature of the Mississippi River and its Arkansas tributaries in those years, the southern route necessarily utilized various alternative routes and methods of travel. At that time, there was no Mississippi River bridge at Memphis, and the Memphis and Little Rock Railroad ran from Hopefield near present-day West Memphis, Arkansas , only to a point 12 miles east of Madison, Arkansas , on

3294-486: Was Butterfield's son-in-law and treasurer of the Overland Mail Company. Dinsmore was vice-president of the company. The office for the company was in New York City. Why John Butterfield was chosen was stated by Postmaster General Aaron Brown: ... a route which no contractor had bid for, but one which in the judgement of A.V. Brown, of Memphis, had more advantages than any other, and, as John Butterfield & Co. had, in

3355-578: Was a superintendent of the Overland Mail Route from San Francisco to St. Louis and thence to eastern cities. The younger Butterfield first traversed the famous route, marked the stations, superintended the work of organization and drove the first stage over the route. The history of the Butterfield Trail and the Emigrant Trail are intertwined. It was the purpose of awarding the contract to the Overland Mail Company, on September 16, 1857, not only for

3416-806: Was across the San Simon River near San Simon Stage Station, and the other across the San Pedro River just north of the San Pedro River Stage Station. The trail that John Butterfield had established was so efficient that it was little changed until its demise in 1880 with the completion of the railroad, and the impact the Butterfield Trail had for settling the West cannot be understated, as written by President James Buchanan congratulating John Butterfield for his achievement: "Washington, Oct. 9, 1858 John Butterfield, Esq .: Sir – Your dispatch has been received. I cordially congratulate you upon

3477-439: Was considered a possible vice-presidential nominee. The following year, newly elected president James Buchanan appointed him Postmaster General, a position in which he served until his death. Brown died on March 8, 1859, and is interred at Nashville's Mount Olivet Cemetery . Brown married his first wife, Sarah Burrus, at an undetermined date, and they had six children. Following her death, he married Cynthia Pillow Sanders,

3538-471: Was defeated in his reelection bid by Neill S. Brown (no relation) in 1847. Brown was a slaveholder. In 1850, He was a delegate to the Nashville Convention , which was a gathering of delegates from slave-holding states to consider a course of action should the federal government attempt to ban slavery. Brown and his brother-in-law, Gideon Pillow , coauthored a resolution calling for the support of

3599-573: Was succeeded by lines of his own, wherein he was a leading manager in the State until staging was superseded by railroads." After his employment with other stage lines, John decided to use this experience for running his own stage lines in Upstate New York. "Mr. Butterfield devoted his attention largely to lines running North and South. At the height of stage coaching he had forty lines running from Utica as headquarters to Ogdensburg and Sacketts Harbor on

3660-514: Was twelve miles from John Butterfield's home in Utica. He immediately became involved with staging. His obituary gives a good summation of his staging activities in Upstate New York and what led him to be involved with the Overland Mail Company: "His prior occupation was a humble one—that of driver of a stage-coach between Utica and Oswego. It was but two or three years before he had saved enough money from his wages to purchase an interest in

3721-478: Was who went over the whole route originally, and surveyed it from the eastern terminus to its western in California." Returning, he procured the necessary equipment for the route, and went over it again, organizing the route as he proceeded, and remained for nearly a year in California, in charge of the western terminus of the road." After winning the contract on September 16, 1857, Butterfield had one year to organize

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