Butterfield Stage Route

This bronze marks a road, not a station. The Stockton-Los Angeles Road came into use with the Kern River gold rush of 1853, along an older emigrant trail at the foot of the Sierra, and it carried miners and freight for five years before the overland mail used it for three. The state placed this bronze and the one at Fountain Springs on the same day, September 28, 1958, in the mail's centennial year. From Fountain Springs north to Deer Creek, Old Stage Road still runs on the road's line.

What the plaque says

Butterfield Overland Mail Route This route, following an earlier emigrant trail, was laid out in the 1850's as part of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road. It was used by the Butterfield Overland Mail stages between St. Louis and San Francisco from 1858 to 1861. This was the first overland mail operated on a regular schedule. California Registered Historical Landmark No. 471 Plaque placed by the California State Park Commission in cooperation with the Tulare County Historical Society, September 28, 1958.

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Tule River Stage Station — 9.7 mi
• Charter Oak or Election Tree — 12 mi
• First Tule River Indian Reservation — 13 mi
• Tulare Assembly Center — 13 mi