A Champion Cutter in Her Eighties
John Butterfield, won a government contract beginning in 1857 to deliver mail to San Francisco, California from Tipton, Missouri and Memphis, Tennessee within 25 days, which was the beginning of the Butterfield Overland Stage Company. (Lately, when a letter we mailed to Helena arrived there one week later, we decided Mr. Butterfield was considerably ahead of his time.)
The two-way, semi-weekly route covered 2800 miles with 139 change stations and a water stop every 30 miles. The engines were mustang race horses capable of out-running any Native American interference along the way. Just in case...
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