- This event has passed.
Zoom Meeting – “Fertile Valleys and Mountain Views”: The Butterfield Overland Mail Route in Northwest Arkansas.
“Fertile Valleys and Mountain Views”: The Butterfield Overland Mail Route in Northwest Arkansas.
Presented by Susan Young, Outreach Coordinator Shiloh Museum of Ozark History
From 1858 to 1861, John Butterfield’s Overland Mail Company carried the first successful overland transcontinental mail by stagecoach through Arkansas as it went from the Mississippi River to California. Though only running from 1858 through part of 1861, it was the longest stagecoach line in world history at approximately 2,812 miles and was a major factor in the
settlement and development of Arkansas and the American West before the Civil War. Its two main routes ran through Arkansas, westward from Memphis and south from Missouri, connecting in Fort Smith.
My talk will focus on the route as it passed through Northwest Arkansas, where much of it followed the Telegraph Road, built in 1828. I’ll also touch briefly on other history that took place on Telegraph Road in Northwest Arkansas: the forced removal of Cherokees on the Trail of Tears and Civil War activities of soldiers and civilians.
Susan Young is the outreach coordinator at the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History in Springdale, a position she has held since 1994. Susan is a lifelong resident of Fayetteville and a fifth-generation Ozarker. Her Ozark history interests include traditional folkways, religion, and cemeteries. Susan serves on the boards of Historic Cane Hill, Heritage Trail Partners and the Arkansas Chapter Trail of Tears Association. In her spare time, Susan enjoys reading, traveling, gardening, genealogy, and birdwatching. Susan has presented for Heritage Seekers previously. Her presentation on “Chicken Bristle Mountain” is an old favorite.
Meeting Files:
Zoom meeting chat text
Zoom meeting video:
0:12:50 Meeting Starts
0:15:25 Presentation
1:03:40 Questions and Answers
1:23:00 Post-Meeting
1:41:51 End