Overland Trail leaves mark

By Kenneth Jessen
Correspondent

Until railroads were constructed in northern Colorado, the Overland Trail was the most important single development in transportation. It connected settlements and provided a practical route for freight and mail, yet lasted only eight years as an active route. All that remains today are faint ruts along the foothills, some markers, a small swing station and the Virginia Dale stage station. A lot of what was once the route of the Overland Trail is now covered by highways and housing. Other parts are dirt roads, yet certain sections of the original trail north of LaPorte are still visible.

During the 1840s, the Oregon Trail through central Wyoming over South Pass was the primary transcontinental wagon route. In 1849, Captain Stansbury looked for a shorter route. Intrepid trapper and mountain man Jim Bridger boasted to Stansbury that he could find just such a route. Bridger discovered the Bridger Pass route over the Continental Divide, located about 10 miles south of Rawlins. Mud made this route impassable, especially in the spring. Despite its disadvantages, the California gold rush brought thousands of would-be prospectors west over the Bridger Pass route, saving them about 150 miles over the Oregon Trail to the north. The U.S. Army began using this route in 1858 and made many improvements, including the construction of bridges.

William H. Russell, Alexander Majors and William B. Waddell purchased an existing Oregon Trail stage line in 1860 and named it the Central Overland California & Pikes Peak Express. More stations were added and equipment improved, but the line failed financially. Ben Holladay purchased the line at auction in 1862 and continued its operation. Holladay simplified the name to the Overland Stage Line.

Within months, Indian attacks over a widespread area brought all movement to a halt. Soldiers that once guarded the Oregon Trail had been pulled away by the Civil War. In the meantime, gold was discovered in the mountains west of Denver-Auraria. In order to reopen the line and serve the emerging Colorado market, Holladay was granted permission by the Postmaster General to move the line south. His surveyors confirmed that the Bridger Pass route was practical. They also established a route using the Cherokee Trail running north and south along the foothills from Denver. In July 1862, Holladay moved his stagecoach route south, asking one of his agents, Jack Slade, to pick a location for the division point. Jack Slade picked a beautiful valley formed by Dale Creek and named it for his wife Virginia. Other stations were also established at this time, including LaPorte.

Starting at Julesburg, Holladay's new stage road followed the South Platte River to Latham. Originally called Cherokee City, Latham was located southeast of present-day Greeley. From Latham, the road used the north bank of the Cache la Poudre River to LaPorte. It then continued into Wyoming much as today's U.S. Highway 287. The Overland Trail skirted north of Elk Mountain (very close to present-day I-80), then over Bridger Pass to Rawlins. From that point, the Overland Trail went west across Red Desert to Point of Rocks.

The first home station south of LaPorte was at the crossing of the Big Thompson River, at the home of pioneer settler Mariano Medina. Spanish-speaking Medina arrived in 1858 and built a small community consisting of a store combined with a saloon, his home, several cabins and a stone fort. The place was known by various names including Miraville, Marianne's Crossing and Mariano's Crossing. After a post office was opened in 1868, it was named Namaqua by the postmaster. The next station to the south was at the crossing of the Little Thompson near the Cross farm south of present-day Berthoud.

The Overland Trail was not a single road such as today's highways. Parallel routes were used depending on conditions. For example, there was a second branch starting at LaPorte, proceeding north to Park Creek. It followed Park Creek, then turned west over a ridge south of Steamboat Rock and down the Devil's Washboard to Stonewall Creek where it joined the other branch of the Overland Trail. At the most northerly point of the Park Creek route, the Denver-Cheyenne wagon road was built directly to Cheyenne. Along this route were several stations, including Round Butte and Spotswood Springs.

To a great degree, mail contracts supported the stage line. In 1864, to meet stipulations for a new bid, the Postal Service required that the line be moved about 4 miles east of Namaqua to Washburn Station. Washburn Station was the home of Judge John E. Washburn and was about a mile southeast of present-day Loveland. This new route came north from Little Thompson Station to Washburn Station, then to Sherwood Station on the Cache la Poudre River. It followed the river through Fort Collins, LaPorte and into Wyoming. A few months later, the Overland Trail was moved back to its original location.

The stagecoaches selected by Ben Holladay were built to last and not for comfort. They were fabricated in Concord, New Hampshire, and weighed a ton. They were made of oak with steel reinforcing. The coach was suspended on leather bands, which acted as shock absorbers. The wheels were massive, with thick steel rims. The boot on the back held the luggage and mail sacks. The strong box was placed under the driver's seat. The windows could be closed with leather curtains, which kept out some of the dust and cold. The coaches also had sandboxes. The driver could release sand on the wheels to improve braking on steep grades. Travel was bone jarring, dirty and very uncomfortable. Stops were required at home stations to allow passengers to stretch, get a bite to eat and momentarily recover from the ride.

Holladay's Concord coaches were typically pulled by six mules or six horses. The stamina of the mules made them the animal of choice. Depending on the terrain, a coach could maintain an average speed of 8 miles per hour. Between the home stations were swing stations where the teams of mules or horses were changed.

In June 1866, the military announced that it would abandon Fort Collins. The location, however, had great potential, and in 1873, the town of Fort Collins was surveyed around the old military buildings. The abandonment of the military fort may have prompted Holladay to sell the Overland Stage Line to Wells Fargo. The latter company made a number of improvements including a new swing station at Spring Creek and a barn at Namaqua.

Stagecoach travel was uncomfortable and slow. In addition, to keep a stagecoach line operating required a great deal of labor and livestock. Railroads precipitated the end of this kind of travel. The Union Pacific reached Colorado in June 1867 at Julesburg. This brought Denver within 33 hours of a railroad by stage along the South Platte River. On November 14, the tracks of the Union Pacific entered Cheyenne. Northbound traffic shifted to the Denver-Cheyenne road. A Colorado-financed railroad was built in 1870, directly from Cheyenne south to Denver through Union Colony (Greeley). This brought to an end long-distance commercial horse-drawn stages and freight wagons.

The rails of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific were joined at Promontory in 1869, and the mail contract that supported the stage line was shifted to the railroad. For local traffic, however, it was shorter to use the Overland Trail through Virginia Dale to Laramie than the Denver-Cheyenne road. In 1877, the Overland Trail was relegated to secondary importance when the Colorado Central constructed its line from Longmont through Loveland, Fort Collins to Cheyenne.

For a detailed look at the Overland Trail, refer to "An Historical and Archaeological Survey of the Overland/Cherokee Trails" prepared for the City of Fort Collins and written by Jason Marmor.