In 1850, John Butterfield, the most famous stage and transport entrepreneur in United States history merged his express company with Henry Wells and William Fargo to form the American Express Co. Their primary trade was involved with rail transport.

In 1857, the group formed the Overland Mail Company to meet a contract with the US Postal Service for the transportation of mail from the midwest to San Francisco. The stage line began regular operation September 16, 1858. The route originally went through the North and Northwest part of Texas, including Diamonds Station, Sherman and Gainesville, and on westward from there.

In 1861, with the civil war brewing, the route was shifted southward slightly to avoid trouble spots in Diamond Station and Gainesville. The shift of the route brought the stage through the fledgling town of Pilot Point and through what today is the site of our very own Butterfield Junction Addition on its way to Denton and beyond. Only a couple weeks later, in March of 1861, the Butterfield route was abandoned forever as the civil war was heating up, and most of the soldiers were being called from the frontiers to support the efforts.