Site of Coughlin's Stage Stand
Mertzon, Irion County, Texas
Marker Inscription
On the Southern Overland route, St. Louis to San Francisco, 1858-1861. Later known as Camp Charlotte. Erected by the State of Texas 1936
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
This site marked a stopping point on the Southern Overland route that carried mail and passengers between St. Louis and San Francisco from 1858 to 1861, the great stagecoach line better known as the Butterfield Overland Mail. The spot was later used as an Army camp called Camp Charlotte. The state of Texas set the marker here in 1936.
Why it matters
The Southern Overland route was one of the first regular transcontinental links binding the far West to the eastern states, and its lonely stage stands were lifelines across a still-unsettled frontier.
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Related events
- · Butterfield Overland Mail
Themes & tags
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