MERRY CHRISTMAS from Dezert Magazine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[pegleglooker]

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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From
PLL
http://www.dezertmagazine.com

 

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[Gork]

Pegleglooker;

A few days ago I posted a response to your post on the so-called Araz Stage Station. No insult meant, but I thought I would give you a little info on the history of the area. If you can access the period newspaper articles that I listed on the area, they are very interesting. Araz was never a Butterfield station and there is no proof it was every a stage station, just an interesting adobe structure. The actual Butterfield Overland Stage Station was Jaeger's, just one mile from Fort Yuma and right on the bank (California side) of the Colorado River. The myth of the Araz adobe structure has been around so long that it has taken on a life of its own. My interest in the Butterfield Trail has been going on for over forty years.

 

[pegleglooker]

Hi Gork,
Last I heard it was only a quick changing station for the horses only....

Thx
PLL

 

[Gork]

Hi Gork,
Last I heard it was only a quick changing station for the horses only....

Thx
PLL

I would be interested in your historical reference for this point. This is what we must go by.

There are many historical records that show the Butterfield Stage Station was owned by Jaeger on the bank of the Colorado River, so it would be inefficient to have a change station less than a mile away. There are some excellent first hand accounts of the actual Butterfield Stage Station. One is given in the Daily Alta California, July 27, 1859, titled "Letter from the Colorado Ferry." In this report describing the Butterfield Overland Stage Station the correspondent states:

"The Colorado Ferry and Overland Mail Depot [Jaeger's Stage Station] is one mile below the Fort [Yuma]; there are two stores, the several building of the Overland Mail Co., two blacksmith shops, several dwellings and a house where the inner man may find grub and comfort provided-in view of the latter, the weather is not too warm and the mosquitoes too plenty."

As can be seen by this actual report, the ferry site on the banks of the Colorado River is also the site of the station and not a single adobe structure located on a small hill at a distance too far from the river to have been Jaeger's Ferry.

Another excellent report is also from the Daily Alta California, June 16, 1860, titled "Letter from Mr. Wallace. He mentions this station, its owner, and the ferry. This is an excellent article that gives an overall history of the ferry service in the area including the ownership by the notorious Glanton Gang.

In referencing anything to do with the Butterfield Overland Mail Company, it must be remembered that it is confined to the September 1858 to March 1861 time frame in which was Butterfield's service.

I have an extensive section about the history of the area during Butterfield's time in my recently published book which is being used by the National Park Service as the primary reference for the the Arizona section to make the trail a National Historic Trail.

 

[C. Myers]

Thank you.

We appreciate factual information.

Keep it up!

 

[pegleglooker]

Thx Gork!!!! Btw do you have a list of stage drivers and or guides from about the Butterfield and up ? If so, I REALLY be interested in seeing your list it could possibly help with my upcoming book....

Thx
PLL

 

[Gork]

Thx Gork!!!! Btw do you have a list of stage drivers and or guides from about the Butterfield and up ? If so, I REALLY be interested in seeing your list it could possibly help with my upcoming book....

Thx
PLL

The National Park Service is presently doing a study of the Butterfield Overland Trail. My area of knowledge is mostly on the Butterfield Trail in Arizona. The researcher who has the Congressional authority for the study states that much of the written material on the Butterfield Overland Mail Company is largely erroneous. Based on my research for Arizona, I agree with him. Almost no references from books written after Butterfields time should be used. In looking at a few reference sections in Arizona libraries has confirmed this. An example is the many ghost town books. Only references from government reports and first hand accounts should be used if possible. An example of a ghost town book that is completely erroneous about Butterfield in Arizona is the book by Lambert Florin. As stated, there are many more. I have been working with the research committee for the last 1 1/2 years and they have declared my book as the definitive book for Arizona. I list some of the people at the stations, but there were many others that are unknown. Most of the stage drivers were from Upstate New York. You will note that my book is copyrighted along with the body of GPS locations for the stations and trail that were determined by me and cannot be used without my permission.
If you wish some material on California, there is a study at this site: www.parks.ca.gov. In the search engine at the top right enter: 1857--1861 San Antonio & San Diego and Butterfield Overland Mail lines. Pick the [pdf]********* It states in this paper that their information is copyrighted.
I hope that this will help and if you have trouble with the above site let me know.

 

[Gork]

Thx Gork!!!! Btw do you have a list of stage drivers and or guides from about the Butterfield and up ? If so, I REALLY be interested in seeing your list it could possibly help with my upcoming book....

Thx
PLL

Just another thought. One of the problems concerning the misinformation about the Butterfield Overland Mail Company is that many historians don't clearly separate the time of Butterfield from later stage companies that used the trail. After Butterfield closed down in March of 1861, there was no real activity on the old Butterfield trail in some states by stagecoach companies until well after the Civil War. In New Mexico, Arizona and into Central California, the stage lines didn't start to reappear until 1867-69, although there may have been a few isolated cases. It will also be noted that outlaws had no reason to hold up the Butterfield stagecoaches since they carried (by order) no valuables.