Butterfield Overland Express - Stop 24 Traditional Cache
Hidden : 2/16/2012
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: small (small)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works
Looking for a different adventure?

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:

Butterfield Overland Express



On September 15, 1857, congress awarded a mail contract to John Butterfield, for an overland mail route from the eastern U.S. that serviced the western U.S. The Southern Postmaster General required the 2812 mile route to be run twice a week. It was also required that the trips be completed within 25 days.

It took a year for John and his company to secure sites for stage stations, buy equipment, obtain horses and mules, and find men to work for him. Bridges had to be built over rivers and streams, large rocks had to be removed from trails, wells had to be dug, and passes through mountains had to be cleared.

There were 139 relay stations and forts, 1800 head of stock, and 250 Concord and Celerity Overland Stage Coaches used by the 800 men that Butterfield employed. He and his men worked feverishly to stockpile hay, grain, and other supplies, along with food, at each of the way stations, just as arrangements had to be made for regular deliveries to each of them after the coaches began rolling.

Butterfields men were rough tough frontiersman as no other men could handle the hardships that Butterfield would put them through. Each driver had a 60 mile route and then a return for a total of 120 miles. No shipments of gold or silver were carried to cut down on attacks by highwaymen.

Additional Hints (No hints available.)



Attributes

No attributes available

Advertising with Us

Inventory

There are no Trackables in this cache.

View past Trackables

What are Trackable Items?