page_title: Butterfield Overland Mail in Texas
section_title: Lower Road, from Franklin to Horse Head Crossing Station (used from August 1, 1859)
hierarchical_section_title: Butterfield Overland Mail in Texas / Stations in Texas / 5th Division / Lower Road, from Franklin to Horse Head Crossing Station (used from August 1, 1859)
caption_attribution_description: English: Fort Stockton parade ground and barracks as seen from the guard house
context_page_description: In Texas, the Butterfield Overland Mail service created by Congress on March 3, 1857, operated until March 30, 1861. The route that was operated extended from San Francisco, California to Los Angeles, then across the Colorado Desert to Fort Yuma, then across New Mexico Territory via, Tucson and Mesilla, New Mexico to Franklin, Texas, midpoint on the route. The route through Texas followed first the northern route to the Pecos River and downstream to Horse Head Crossing. The route in West Texas was changed in 1859, in order to secure a better water supply on the route and to provide mail service to a more settled area, the stages between Franklin and the Pecos River followed the San Antonio-El Paso Road to Camp Stockton and then turned east to Horsehead Crossing. From Horsehead Crossing the route crossed Texas to the Red River and into Indian Territory. In 1860 the route was changed to another route from Jacksboro to Sherman via Decatur due to the building of a new toll bridge at Bridgeport, that avoided delays crossing the West Fork of the Trinity River when it was flooded.
context_section_description: Ysleta - Located 14 miles from Franklin.
  Socorro - Located 3 miles from Ysleta.
  San Elizario - Located 9​¹⁄₄ miles from Socorro.
  Camp Hawkins Station - Located 10​¹⁄₂ miles from San Elizario.
  Birchville or Smith's Ranch Station - Located 24​¹⁄₂ miles from San Elizario.
  Camp Rice Station - Located 15 miles from Birchville Station.
  Fort Quitman - Located 33 miles from Birchville Station, 18 miles from Birchville Station.
  Camp Fargo Station - Located 5​¹⁄₂ miles from Fort Quitman.
  Quitman Pass
  Eagle Spring Station - Located 31 miles from Fort Quitman, 25.5 miles from Camp Fargo 
  Van Horns Wells Station - Located 19 miles from Eagle Spring.
  Deadman's Hole Spring or El Muerto Spring - Located 33 miles from Van Horns Wells Station, northeast of Valentine, Texas.
  Barrel Springs Station - Located 18 miles southeast of Deadman's Hole.
  Point of Rocks - A spring located 8 miles southeast of Barrel Springs Station, 10 miles from Fort Davis.
  Fort Davis Station - Located near Fort Davis 18 miles from Barrel Springs.
  Limpia Station - Located 18 miles from Fort Davis in Limpia Canyon.
  Barilla Spring Station - Located 10 miles from Limpia Station.
  Hackberry Holes Station - A later station, located 15 miles from Barilla Spring, 22 miles from Leon Springs.
  Leon Holes Station - Located 34 miles from Barela Springs. 
  Fort Stockton Station - Located 8​¹⁄₂ miles from Leon Springs, 45 miles from Horsehead Crossing Station
  Casa Blanca Spring - A spring 9 miles from Camp Stockton.
  Camp Pleasant Station - Located at Agua Bonita Spring 11 miles from Camp Stockton, 23 miles from Horsehead Crossing.
caption: Grounds of frontier Fort Stockton
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