Local History
Texas Stagecoach Route Historical Markers: The Roads Before the Roads
Real Texas stagecoach and Butterfield Overland Mail markers you can visit, from El Paso to Decatur. Here's where to find the roads before the roads.
Photo: Vivian Arcidiacono / Unsplash. A horse-drawn carriage, the way Texas traveled before the highways.
You're driving across West Texas on a two-lane highway. The land rolls out flat and empty for miles. A century and a half ago, that same ground carried a stagecoach loaded with mail sacks and half-asleep passengers. RoadHistorical is a Texas historical preservation platform that helps you find the markers along these old routes. This article walks you through real stagecoach and Butterfield Overland Mail markers you can visit on your next Texas drive.
The Butterfield Overland Mail Crosses El Paso
The Butterfield Overland Mail marker in El Paso tells the story of a bet on distance. John Butterfield won a federal contract in 1857 to carry mail twice a week between St. Louis and San Francisco. The service started in September 1858. It ran until March 1861, when the Civil War shut it down.
You'll find the marker at 1858 Cottonwoods Drive. The street number matches the year the mail line began. Stagecoaches averaged 5 to 12 miles an hour and swapped horses every 15 to 30 miles.
Marker location: 1858 Cottonwoods Drive, El Paso, TX 79925.
Find it in RoadHistorical before your visit.
A Coast-to-Coast Line in Loving County
Out near Mentone, the Butterfield Stage marker sits along an empty stretch of highway. Its inscription is direct. "Over these tracks passed the Butterfield Stage, 1858-1861, providing for first time in history a combined passenger and mail service from Atlantic to Pacific coast."
The numbers still impress. Butterfield's company ran 1,350 mules and horses and 90 Concord coaches to keep the line moving. Those coaches used wide leather straps under the body to soften the ride. It helped, but only a little.
Marker location: State Highway 302, Mentone, TX 79754.
Find it in RoadHistorical before your visit.
The Route Through Decatur
The Butterfield Overland Mail Line marker stands in Decatur, up in Wise County. Semi-weekly stages passed through here between 1858 and 1861, connecting St. Louis and San Francisco. The full route ran 2,795 miles.
Crossing Texas took about seven days. The line ran from near Preston, now under Lake Texoma, through Jacksboro, Fort Belknap, and Fort Chadbourne before reaching El Paso. Passengers paid 40 cents to a dollar for a meal at the stops. The food ranged from decent to wormy biscuits and grease. Old travel tips said the best seat was next to the driver.
Marker location: Business US 287 & West Mulberry St, Decatur, TX 76234.
Find it in RoadHistorical before your visit.
How RoadHistorical Finds These Markers
Discovery Mode runs in the background as you drive. It notifies you when you're coming up on a marker, so you don't have to know it's there in advance. The AI Tour Guide answers the questions a plaque can't fit, like what happened to the stage stops after the trains arrived.
The app also works offline. A lot of these old routes cross country with no cell coverage, so you can still pull up the history when the signal drops.
Start Discovering Texas History Today
RoadHistorical is free to download on the App Store for iPhone. Download it here and turn on Discovery Mode before your next drive. Android users: sign up for early access at roadhistorical.app.
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