Butterfield's Overland Mail Co. Stagecoach Trail Across Arkansas 1858-1861

Butterfield's Overland Mail Co. Stagecoach Trail Across Arkansas: 1858-1861 by Bob Crossman tells the story of the Overland Mail Company stagecoaches which carried passengers and mail west from Memphis and St. Louis to San Francisco through Arkansas. The Overland stagecoaches and stage wagons traveled day and night, completing the 3,293 mile journey is less than twenty five days.

This book pays special attention to each of the twenty Overland Mail Company stations spread across Arkansas. The stations were typically located about fifteen miles apart. The stagecoaches or stage wagons would stop for ten minutes at each station for the quick change of horses. Twice a day the stage would stop at a station for about forty minutes, allowing the passengers to have a moment of rest and purchase a quick meal while the driver obtained a fresh team of horses or mules.