Transportation History
The Butterfield Overland Mail Route Passed Through Wise County
Before the Civil War, the Butterfield Overland Mail — one of the first transcontinental mail services — ran through Decatur on its way west.
The Butterfield Overland Mail ran from St. Louis to San Francisco starting in 1858. The southern route passed through North Texas, including Decatur in Wise County. This service brought regular mail and passenger service to frontier settlements before the railroad arrived.
The route was disrupted when the Civil War broke out in 1861. The railroad replaced it as the main way to move goods and people. The Butterfield route is part of a larger story of westward expansion that put Wise County on early Texas maps.
Source to confirm: Handbook of Texas — Decatur, TX