The Butterfield Trail in New Mexico

Little can equal the excitement, danger and romance of a trip across the desert of southern New Mexico Territory in the late 1850s and early 1860s on the Butterfield Overland Mail coaches. George Hackler brings to life those who operated the many remote and lonely stations, drove the coaches, and were passengers on the hair raising ride across the barren tracks of Indian lands. The New Mexico division of the St. Louis-San Francisco transcontinental mail route has been largely ignored but Hackler personally visited each of the Station sites and walked much of the Trail. He coordinated 21st century field surveys with those made by historians in the 1930s, and incorporated descriptions from journals left by early travelers and pioneers. These journals provide a glimpse into the lives and times of those intrepid pioneers who opened the desert southwest of the United States for other travelers. More than 85 photographs, most in color and 70 maps and plans illustrate the past glory and preserve the current state of these historic sites along the longest single stage coach route in the world at the time.