Prior to September 1858 there had never been an overland mail route from St. Louis, Missouri, or Memphis, Tennessee, to anywhere in California. Mail going in either direction had to do so by steamship ...

In 1858, when Visalia was about six years old, the tiny settlement welcomed a transportation feature that would transform Visalia, California and indeed the nation – the Butterfield Overland Stage.

Prologue: Where It All Began -- Part I. Setting the Stage-Metaphorically Speaking -- New Mexico Territory...or Is This Arizuma? -- Texas : Ignored but Never Forgotten -- California at the Center -- ...