Near Buena Vista in Chaffee County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Stagecoach Road to Riches
With the discovery of gold in California Gulch in 1860, getting to Oro City (now Leadville) meant an opportunity for fame and fortune.
It would, however, be twenty years before railroad service traversed the Upper Arkansas Valley. Stagecoach routes from Denver and Aspen over Mosquito and Tennessee passes were established, but travelers and commercial enterprises coming from Pueblo and south had to make their way up the Arkansas River.
The Barlow and Sanderson Stagecoach Company established a route from Canon City to Leadville in the 1860’s.
Stage stations were developed at intervals of 15-20 miles, the distance a team of horses could reasonably last. Bale’s Station, downriver of where Salida now stands, was one of the relay stops on the Arkansas River route. Stages stopped and sometimes passengers overnighted there before going on to Leadville. A formal townsite was established around 1878, named for Bale’s daughter Cleora.
As the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad pushed farther westward up the canyon, stages moved their departures upriver. Canon City was the railhead from about 1874 and Salida from 1880.
Once the railroad arrived the relay stations below Salida became obsolete and stage travel was abandoned.
Erected by Federal Highway Administration, National Scenic Byways & Greater Arkansas River Nature Association.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars • Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers.
Location. 39° 2.029′ N, 106° 15.429′ W. Marker is near Buena Vista, Colorado, in Chaffee County. Marker is on U.S. 24, one mile east of County Highway 397, on the left when traveling east. Marker is located in a pull-out area overlooking the Arkansas River, on the north side of US Highway 24. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Buena Vista CO 81211, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 2 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Placers In Between (here, next to this marker); Getting from There to Here (here, next to this marker).
More about this marker. Marker is associated with Colorado's Collegiate Peaks Scenic and Historic Byway. Marker is relatively new and in good condition.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Colorado's Collegiate Peaks Scenic and Historic Byway
Also see . . .
1. Barlow and Sanderson Stagecoach.
Before the rapid expansion of railroads in the West in the 1870s and 1880s, stagecoaches carried passengers, mail, and freight from town to town. Bradley Barlow and Jared Sanderson first entered the stagecoach business in the early 1860s in Missouri. The first use of the Barlow, Sanderson and Company name came in 1866, by which time it had a route to California. It was the only major company operating on western mainlines aside from Wells, Fargo and Company, which had come to dominate stage lines in the West. (Submitted on September 1, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Barlow & Sanderson Company – Staging in the Mountains. Legends of America website entry (Submitted on April 2, 2024, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Credits. This page was last revised on April 2, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 1, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 893 times since then and 75 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 1, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 6, 7. submitted on September 18, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 8. submitted on September 1, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 9. submitted on September 18, 2017, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.