Last updated: January 20, 2025
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Fort Smith and the Butterfield Overland Mail (Site Bulletin)
Gold Paves the Way
The discovery of gold at Sutters Mill, California sparked westward migration. Gold, silver and free land were all appealing incentives. Prior to the discovery of gold, there was little demand for fast mail and safe passenger service from east to west. Only two scheduled steamships delivered mail monthly, and this form of transportation was slow and often plagued by storms, tropical diseases, and seasickness. With increased population, the need for an east to west mail service became stronger.Congressional Support
Congress addressed this matter by introducing a bill on March 3, 1857 that authorized Postmaster General Aaron Brown to issue a cross country mail contract. Nine bids were entered for the main contract in June of 1857. Postmaster Brown did not accept any of the proposed routes, but insisted that the route must begin in Memphis and St. Louis, serve Little Rock, then proceed to San Francisco by way of Preston, Arizona, El Paso, Texas, and Fort Yuma, California. After careful consideration, Brown awarded John Butterfield to contract for semiweekly service at the price of $600,000.John Butterfield
John Butterfield, an experienced agent and owner of mail and freight lines, anticipated receiving the overland contract and formed a joint stock company with $2,000,000 in capital. Butterfield’s major qualifications included an excellent service record, close politcal contacts, and his friendship with President James Buchanan. This justified Postmaster Brown’s selection of Butterfield’s southern route. This upset many who claimed that Brown was sympathetic toward the secessionists and therefore chose Butterfield based on politics. Brown rationalized his choice by claiming that the southern route offered good climate, topopgraphy, and roads, and cited Butterfield’s experience and ability in operating successfully.Moving Forward
As a result, the Butterfield Overland Mail Company was organized in 1857 after negotiating a contract with the U.S. government. Butterfield had the ability and the capital to move swiftly after receiving the contract. Survey crews immediately began to mark the route, selecting designated stops and mail collection points. These stops required barns, corrals, food and lodging. Farmers along the route were selected as station masters and their farms as stops for mail collection points. The farmer’s wives earned a good income from the sale of food and drink.Butterfield’s crews installed 141 stations on the 2,795 mile trail between Tipton, Missouri and San Francisco. This number expanded to 200 as hotels, saloons, and other eating enterprises developed along the route. His contract required him to provide service westward from St. Louis, Missouri and Memphis, Tennessee. Butterfield arranged a subcontract that would provide service consisting of mail and passenger transport by steamboat to Des Arc, Arkansas, then a transfer to a stagecoach across central Arkansas to Fort Smith. Here it would meet the Tipton stagecoach.
Post Office: "What's in a name?"
Mail was picked up in the regions surrounding the stage station by men contracted by the U.S. Postal Service. These men were known as mail riders. In the remote regions, mail would be left at a designated fence or gate post for the mail rider to collect, eventually resulting in the term “post office.”Logistics and Planning
Butterfield’s company purchased 1,200 horses and 600 mules, each branded “O.M.” (for Overland Mail); all horses were distributed to the various stations. Over 1,000 men were hired and trained as conductors, drivers, station masters, superintendents, blacksmiths and wranglers. Over 250 regular coaches, special mail wagons, freight wagons, and water tank wagons were ordered. Butterfield purchased Concord Coaches, the finest coaches the world over. They were exquisite, a beautiful example of handicraft. He painted these either red or green with bright yellow running gear. Each coach weighed 3,000 pounds and had a load capacity of 4,000 pounds. Upon the door of the coach was the O.M.C. insignia. They carried 6 to 9 passengers inside and several passengers on top. Concord Celerity Spring Wagons or “mud wagons” were purchased for use on the rough terrain of the route. These vehicles were lighter in weight and smaller in frame. The mud wagons were commonly used in route between Springfield, Missouri and Los Angeles, California.Twelve months after Butterfield received this contract, he was ready to roll. The service began on the morning of September 16, 1858 as John Butterfield personally helped the St. Louis Postal Authority pick up mail from the St. Louis Post Office and transport it by wagon to the train depot. The cost for a passenger began at $200 for westbound, $100 for eastbound and 10 cents a mile for wayfare, either direction. The passengers had a 40 pound baggage restriction. Each stage had only 10 minute stops at each station, just enough time to pick up mail and care for the horses. The conductor sounded a bugle as it reached the station to alert the station master of his arrival so the mail and the horses would be prepared. The stage covered 120 miles daily.
The Role of Fort Smith
Fort Smith petitioned Congress to supply mail service from Fort Smith to southern California. In 1858, Congress provided for the stage routes from Memphis and St. Louis to meet in Fort Smith. Through the expansion of technological developments, stage, steamboat, and mail enterprises, Fort Smith was fast becoming the communication center for the southwest in the 1850s. Military roads extending from Fort Smith sustained an increased amount of traffic. Small steamers quickened the arrival of goods, passengers, and mail along the Arkansas River. In 1858, Fort Smith became a hub of the Overland Mail. The first Butterfield Mail stagecoach passed through Fort Smith in September on route to El Paso and then to California. This was a 15 day trip. The Concord stages came across the Arkansas by flatboat at Van Buren then carried passengers and mail on to Fort Smith. On the trip westward to California, mud wagons were used.A celebration followed the arrival of the first stage. A ball was held in honor of Butterfield upon the arrival of the first eastbound coach on October 13, 1858.
The Memphis to Fort Smith route was actually a variety of routes and modes of travel. When rivers were high in 1858-1859, mail and passengers travelled up the White River to the Clarendon, on to Des Arc, and continued by transfer to stage. From the state line to Fayetteville, the Butterfield route paralleled with present day Highway 62. From Fayetteville, it took the most direct route by way of the Boston Mountain Road. This road was said to be “the roughest 10 miles between St. Louis and San Francisco.” Schedules were meant to be followed on time. Butterfield stated, “All hands will see the great neccessity of promptness and dispatch: every minute of time is valuable…” Fort Smith held scheduled departures every Friday and Monday at 3:00 a.m., and on every Sunday and Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. Travel time averaged 4 ½ miles per hour, taking approximately 45 hours to travel 105 miles, 17 hours to travel 65 miles.