Historical Marker

Butterfield Trail

In 1858, American Express Company co-founder John Butterfield secured a $600,000 government contract to establish the first transcontinental passenger and mail delivery route. Butterfield Overland Mail Co. stagecoaches carried passengers and mail from St. Louis to San Francisco, entering New Mexico near El Paso and following the Rio Grande north to La Mesilla where the trial veered west. The 1,795-mile journey took 21-22 days. The service was discontinued in 1861 due to federal cutbacks and the advance of the Confederates into New Mexico.