pt. I. John Butterfield's "gamble worth making" begins : from St. Louis to the Red River -- pt. II. The long & dangerous days : the first overland mail trip & stations along the route -- pt. III. New routes -- up the Pecos, via the Guadalupes, crossing at Horsehead : to El Paso via Fort Stockton, Fort Davis and the Rio Grande -- pt. IV. Modern travelers on the Butterfield Trail -- the past is not past : the trail's still down there -- pt. V. Crossroads -- pt. VI. Epilogue : the dream ends, but legends abide
Summary
Short as the life of the Southern Overland Mail turned out to be (1858 to 1861), the saga of the Butterfield Trail remains a high point in the westward movement. This work offers a history and guide to retrace that historic and romantic Trail, which stretches 2800 miles from the Mississippi River to the Pacific coast
