History of Atchison County, Kansas. Sheffield Ingalls

BUTTERFIELD’S OVERLAND DISPATCH.

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      One of the interesting promoters in overland staging days was D. A. Butterfield. He came to Atchison from Denver in 1864, and engaged in the commission business in a large stone warehouse near the Massasoit House, and, in addition to his commission business, he was agent for a line of packets plying between St. Louis and Atchison. Shortly after his arrival in Atchison he began the development of an overland stage line, which subsequently reached very large proportions. His ambition was to be at the head of an overland stage line, and, having selected what was known as the Smoky Hill route along the Kansas and Smoky Hill rivers, which was fifty miles shorter than any other route to Denver, he proceeded with the further development of his plans. He was a smart, capable, ambitious and aggressive fellow, with vim, and was in touch with a number of men of large means in New York, whom he soon interested in his enterprise. Early in 1865 the following advertisement appeared in the Atchison Daily Free Press, announcing Mr. Butterfield’s project:

      “BUTTERFIELD’S OVERLAND DISPATCH.

      “To all points in Colorado, Utah, Idaho and Montana Territory.

      Principal office, Atchison, Kansas. New York Office No. 1 Vesey St. Astor House.

      “Through bills of lading given from New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chicago, St. Louis, and Burlington, Iowa.

      “D. A. Butterfield, Proprietor, Atchison, Kansas.

      “A. W. Spalding, General Agent, New York.”

      Butterfield’s consuming desire was to control the big end of the transportation business across the plains. He maintained an expensive office in New York City and called his line “The Butterfield Overland Dispatch.” Conspicuous signs were displayed over the doors of his office in the Astor House, showing caravans of great covered wagons drawn by mules and oxen, which signs attracted the attention of all. During his promotion of this new stage line Butterfield lived in great style and elegance in Atchison, in a house, the remains of which still stand (1915) at the southwest corner of Fifth and S streets. He entertained lavishly, and “champagne flowed like water” at his home when he gave a party.

      The direct route out of Atchison to Denver, chosen by Butterfield, was in a southwesterly direction to Valley Falls, thence across the plains to a point on the old Fort Riley military road a few miles northeast of Topeka. The Butterfield line was first operated with mules and oxen, but as the road grew more prosperous, four horse stages were substituted. “Dave” Butterfield, as he was known, was determined to make Ben Holladay a pigmy in the overland stage business. Although it was known to many that there was more wind behind his enterprise than real money, yet in spite of the fact that his efforts in the staging world were more or less looked upon as a promotion scheme, he interested considerable capital, including the United States, American and the Adams Express companies. He was a great believer in publicity and spent large sums in newspaper advertising, but it required much money to properly equip and operate a stage line, and Butterfield did not have enough. In consequence of his lack of capital, his original company failed, but was subsequently reorganized in June, 1865. Butterfield, undaunted, went east again and raised more money, and before his return, he capitalized a new company with $3,000,000.00, with one-half paid in. Branch offices were opened in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Chicago, Atchison, Leavenworth, Denver and Salt Lake City. John A. Kinney, a pioneer business man of Atchison, who had been connected with Butterfield from the beginning, continued in charge of the Atchison office under the reorganization, with a salary of $2,500 per year. Shortly after the new company was organized, Butterfield inserted another advertisement in the Free Press, as follows:

      “BUTTERFIELD’S OVERLAND DISPATCH.

      “To all points in Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Idaho, Montana and the state of Nevada.

      “Contracts can be made with this Company through their Agents to transport freight from all the eastern cities to all localities in the Territories, the rate to include railroad and overland carriage and all commissions upon the Missouri River. The Company owns its own transportation and gives a through bill of lading which protects shipper from extreme East to the Far West.

      “EXPRESS DEPARTMENT.

      “About August, 1865 the Company will have a line of express coaches running daily between Atchison, Kansas and Denver, Colorado; and about September 1st, to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and as soon in the Spring as possible, a tri-weekly between Denver and Salt Lake City over which merchandise will be carried at fair express rates.

      “TIME TO DENVER—EIGHT (8) DAYS.

      “INSTRUCTIONS: Mark goods for cattle and mule trains: ‘But’d Ov’d Desp’h.’ Mark goods for express: B. O. D. Express, Atchison.”

      Some changes were afterwards made in the location of the route, but it left as before, in a southwesterly direction to Valley Falls. The business of the new company was very large from the start and grew rapidly. Steamboats discharged great quantities of freight at the Atchison levee for shipment by Butterfield’s line. A large amount also came from St. Joseph by railroad. In one day during July, 1865, nineteen car loads of freight consigned to the Butterfield line at Atchison were received for transportation across the plains. In the following month a train was loaded with 600,000 pounds of merchandise for Salt Lake City. One of the early stages that left Atchison on this line made the run to Junction City, which was 119 miles, in less than twenty-four hours, or at the rate of five and one-half miles an hour, including all stops, but the reorganized Butterfield line was not long in operation before it met with many obstacles. The fact that the Smoky Hill route selected by Butterfield was not guarded by Government troops of soldiers, as the Fort Kearney route was, caused the Indians to make many raids upon the overland trains. A number of severe encounters with Indians were had from time to time, until it became necessary to operate the stages with a mounted guard in advance. It finally became so dangerous that it was difficult to secure messengers and drivers to operate the line. This condition became so serious that the “Overland Dispatch,” which in the meanwhile was becoming more financially embarrassed from day to day, was finally obliged to retire from the field. During the short time that it lasted, it was widely known throughout the western country, and in the East it was known in most of the leading cities. While this company, to some extent, cut down the receipts of the Holladay line, traffic across the plains had become so dull in the sixties that there was not much profit in it for anybody. In March, 1866, Holladay took over the Butterfield line and the following announcement appeared in the newspapers:

      “NOTICE.

      “To the Employees of the Overland Dispatch Company.

      “The Overland Stage Line and the Overland Dispatch Company have become one property under the name of the Holladay Overland Mail & Express Company.

      “The new Company guarantees payment to the employees of the late Overland Dispatch Company. An agent is now en route from New York to pay them.

      “David Street, Gen’l Agt.,

      “Holladay Mail & Express Co.

      “Atchison, Kansas, March 17, 1866.”

      The business that Butterfield had worked up was continued by the new company, but Butterfield was hopelessly down and out. While in the midst of what appeared to be a prosperous freight business with many tons of ponderous mining machinery in transit across the plains to the mining camps of Colorado, the mining bubble broke, and great difficulty was experienced in collecting freight bills that were accumulating on machinery that was being transported across the plains, so it was unloaded upon the plains and there it was left to rust out. In less than eighteen months from the first organization of the Overland Dispatch, Butterfield was a financial wreck, and the consolidation of his company with the Holladay line was the only action that could be taken to conserve the property which the Butterfield line had acquired. Butterfield subsequently left Atchison and located in Mississippi, where he organized a railroad,