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Home My WebLink About80-12 RESOLUTIONRESOLUTION NO. 80-12 A RESOLUTION TO EXPRESS THE CITY COUNCIL'S SUPPORT OF THE BUTTERFIELD OVERLAND MAIL STAGE ROUTE NATIONAL TRAIL TO BECOME A NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL WHEREAS, the Butterfield Overland Trail was a great improvement over previous methods to send mail and carry passengers from Missouri to California by reducing the transit time from about three months to slightly more than three weeks; and WHEREAS, this 2,500 mile stagecoach line went from Missouri or Tennessee through Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona to California; and WHEREAS, the main Butterfield Stage route began in St. Louis and ran through Fayetteville and Fort Smith before turning west toward California; and WHEREAS, Charles Butterfield, youngest son of John Butterfield, was in charge of the Butterfield state Fayetteville Station which was a time -table station overseeing and supplying at least four weekly stage coaches carrying the mail east and west; and WHEREAS, the historic Butterfield Overland Mail Stage Route National Trail should be designated a national historic trail. NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS: Section 1: That the City Council of the City of Fayetteville, Arkansas hereby expresses its full support to have the Butterfield Overland Mail Stage Route National Trail be designated a national historic trail and finds that such trail is very suitable and feasible to be so designated. PASSED and APPROVED this 17th day of April, 2012. APPROVED: ATTEST: By: VAIAtv SONDRA E. SMITH, City Clerk/Treasurer '°°,° ILLE :FAYETTEV ° ° B ° /Yra e ;�GTON o ®®eaeo ®�AAAA6Al636d� dactyl oi t c ,\, L / /b- / ewleAf-tfe AGENDA REQUEST FOR: COUNCIL MEETING OF APRIL 17, 2012 FROM: LIONELD JORDAN, MAYOR KIT WILLIAMS, CITY ATTORNEY ORDINANCE OR RESOLUTION TITLE AND SUBJECT: A Resolution To Express The City Council's Support Of The Butterfield Overland Mail Stage Route National Trail To Become A National Historic Trail APPROVED FOR AGENDA: City Attorney munication arketing Director -P0A a Finance Director q - `ZatZ Date Date `1-1a-2612, Date Chief of ; aff Date M. yor ate ate 04-10-1 2 A09:05 RCVD ave evi le Departmental Correspondence ARKANSAS www.accessfayetteville.org LEGAL DEPARTMENT TO: Mayor Jordan City Council CC: Don Marr, Chief of Staff Lindsley Smith, Communications & Marketing Director FROM: Kit Williams, City Attorney DATE: April 9, 2012 RE: Support for Butterfield Overland Mail Stage Route to become a National Historic Trail Kit Williams City Attorney Jason B. Kelley Assistant City Attorney The Butterfield Overland Mail Stage Route from Missouri to California came through Fayetteville in the late 1850's and was a giant step forward to get mail and passengers more quickly to California. This 2,500 mile stage route with resupply stations along the way reduced the trip to California from as much as three months to barely over three weeks. Charles Butterfield, the youngest son of its founder, John Butterfield, ran the Fayetteville Butterfield Stage Station. This station assisted in the timely delivery of the U.S. mail with at least four weekly stagecoaches carrying mail serving Fayetteville and resupplying before heading for California or St. Louis. Eventually, railroads made the trip West even faster and more reliable and supplanted the Butterfield Stage Route. However, it is appropriate to honor and protect this historic trail. The National Park Service is seeking input concerning the suitability and feasibility of designating the Butterfield Overland Mail Stage Route as a national historic trail. The City of Fayetteville should publicly express its support for this historic designation for the Butterfield Stage Trail. RESOLUTION NO. A RESOLUTION TO EXPRESS THE CITY COUNCIL'S SUPPORT OF THE BUTTERFIELD OVERLAND MAIL STAGE ROUTE NATIONAL TRAIL TO BECOME A NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL WHEREAS, the Butterfield Overland Trail was a great improvement over previous methods to send mail and carry passengers from Missouri to California by reducing the transit time from about three months to slightly more than three weeks; and WHEREAS, this 2,500 mile stagecoach line went from Missouri or Tennessee through Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona to California; and WHEREAS, the main Butterfield Stage route began in St. Louis and ran through Fayetteville and Fort Smith before turning west toward California; and WHEREAS, Charles Butterfield, youngest son of John Butterfield, was in charge of the Butterfield state Fayetteville Station which was a time -table station overseeing and supplying at least four weekly stage coaches carrying the mail east and west; and WHEREAS, the historic Butterfield Overland Mail Stage Route National Trail should be designated a national historic trail. NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS: Section 1: That the City Council of the City of Fayetteville, Arkansas hereby expresses its full support to have the Butterfield Overland Mail Stage Route National Trail be designated a national historic trail and finds that such trail is very suitable and feasible to be so designated. PASSED and APPROVED this 17th day of April, 2012. APPROVED: ATTEST: By: By: LIONELD JORDAN, Mayor SONDRA E. SMITH, City Clerk/Treasurer (4/9/2012) Kit Williams PRE Ion of Butterfield Overland Trail as National historic trail.doc Seite 1 For Immediate Release April 5, 2012 Contact: Lindsley Smith Communication Director 479-575-8328 lsmith@ci.fayetteville.ar.us NEWS RELEASE THE CITY OF FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS National Park Service to Hold National Trail Public Input Meeting in Fayetteville on April 11 Representatives of the National Park Service (NPS) will be in Fayetteville on April 11 to hold a public input 'session at City Hall (113 W. Mountain Street) from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in Room 326 on the proposed Butterfield Overland Mail Stage Route National Trail. The NPS is seeking public comments concerning the suitability and feasibility of designating the Butterfield Overland Trail as a national historic trail. This NPS study and environmental assessment, which is in its initial information -gathering phase, will address the historic route in states from Missouri to California. This will be one of two such input sessions by the NPS in Arkansas (the other one will be held in Fort Smith on the evening of April 11 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Riverfront Park Events Building), and the NPS is also holding input sessions in other states along this historic trail. These meetings will gather public comments to be included in a special resource study mandated by the U.S. Congress and signed into law under the Omnibus Public Lands Act of 2009. That study was ordered to determine what appropriate measures might be taken to preserve the 1858 - 1861 stagecoach route, up to and possibly including designation as a National Trail. If you are unable to attend one of these meetings, written public comments will be accepted as part of this process through May 18, 2012. Comments and letters of support can be sent by email to Gretchen Ward at Gretchen Ward@nps.gov OR via U.S. Postal Service Mail to Butterfield Special Resource Study; Gretchen Ward; P.O. Box 728, Santa Fe, NM, 87504. There were two Butterfield Stage routes through Arkansas. The main route from Saint Louis, Missouri, to San Francisco, California, entered Arkansas north of the Pea Ridge National Battlefield Park and passed through the Battlefield Park, Rogers, Springdale and Fayetteville to Van Buren and Fort Smith. The second route originated in Memphis Tennessee, continuing through Arkansas at Des Arc, Cabot, Conway, Russellville, Dardanelle, and Lavaca before joining the main route in Fort Smith. The Butterfield Route was established in 1858 to create an overland transportation system for mail and passengers from the East Coast to California. The entire route covers some 2,500 miles through what are now the states of Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Prior to the establishment of this overland route, mail and passengers from the East Coast to California could take as long as three months in transit by land and sea. The Butterfield Route cut that transit time to an amazing (for the time) 22 to 25 days. Complete details on the process are available via internet; http://parkplanning.nps.gov/butterfieldsrs (National Park Service website). www.accessfayettevi l le.o lrg Telecommunications Device for the Deaf TDD (479) 521-1316 113 West Mountain - Fayetteville, AR 72701