Historic Butterfield Stage Route 1858-1861 - Whitesboro, TX
N 33° 39.295 W 096° 53.694
14S E 695201 N 3725883
Located on TX 56 at the eastern end of the city, Whitesboro's welcome sign notes that the Historic Butterfield Stage Route made regular stops here from 1858 to 1861.
Waymark Code: WMT668
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/02/2016
Views: 2
The sign is in a triangle between TX 56 and East Main Street. Mounted on a brick wall, it shows a stagecoach being pulled by two horses, and says:
Welcome To
Whitesboro
Historic Butterfield Stage Route
1858-1861
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The Civil War basically put an end to the stage route. At the other end of town is the Diamond Family Cemetery, where John R. Diamond, his wife, and other family members are buried, and in front of the cemetery is a park with a marker that provides a route map and some information about the stage's stops here:
Diamond Station
Butterfield Overland Mail Stage Stop
The Diamond Station was a stop along the nearly 700 mile stretch across the Lone Star State for the Butterfield Overland Mail Stage Line Company. The Butterfield Overland Mail Company held the U.S. Mail contract for the first cross-country trek from St. Louis to San Francisco. Marked as the first intercontinental mail route, the Butterfield Overland Mail Stagecoach made its first stop at the Diamond Station on September 21, 1858.
The complete route took 24 days and covered 2,812 miles, carrying mail and passengers. At this location Waterman Ormsby witnessed "the operation of harnessing a wild mule." He estimated it took thirty minutes per mule (four were used). The Diamond Station was kept by John R. Diamond from 1858-1861.
Type of community: Town
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Visit Instructions:
More pictures of the sign would be great. Try and take a picture of yourself with it if you can!