Butterfield Overland Mail Station
Marker:
Butterfield Overland Mail Station – The marker is missing
Location:
Wellton, Yuma County, Arizona
32.675325, -114.135275
Historical Significance:
A marker was placed near the Old Butterfield Overland Mail Trail to commemorate the stagecoach passenger and mail service that ran overland from St. Louis to California from 1859 to 1861. The Civil War interrupted the stagecoach mail service, and railroads later replaced them. The Arizona stage line followed roughly the route of the current Interstate 10 and ran through the Dragoon mountains to take advantage of natural springs in the area, a route that had been used for hundreds of years by the Apache tribes. The marker was later moved to Wellton, Arizona, which is 29 miles east of Yuma and had served as a water stop, also known as a well town, for the Butterfield Stage and the railroad.
The Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoaches crossed the Colorado River at the Yuma crossing.
In March 2019, the Maricopa Chapter, NSDAR, verified that the marker is missing.
Dedication:
March 23, 1934
Sponsor:
Yuma Chapter, NSDAR
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Unless otherwise noted, images are courtesy of Arizona State Society, DAR, Daughters.