Exeter in Tulare County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Packwood Station
Photographed By Dr. Samuel Gregg George Chapter No. 1855 E Clampus Vitus, July 27, 2013
1. Packwood Station Marker
In 1858 the Butterfield Overland Mail Company established stations at ten to twenty mile intervals to serve passengers and change horses. One of those stations was located approximately a mile and a half east of here. The first stage left the East in September of 1858 to carry the U.S. mail and passengers from St. Louis to San Francisco. The trip took
about twenty-four days and eighteen hours one way. The 1855 survey called the road
angling between Tule River and Visalia "the road from Packwoods to Visalia." The station on that road was called Packwood Station. The first two men keeping the station were brothers, Charles and Isaac Putnam. A third man, R. Porter Putnam (no relation), worked
there from December 1858 to April 1859. Charles Putnam was given the Tule River Station late in 1859 and in 1864 R. Porter Putnam started the town of Porterville. The station was located where the road to Visalia split off from the Old Stockton-Los Angeles Road. In 1865 the county started aligning roads to section lines and the station was moved North to the new Visalia Road (Avenue 280) and the new bridge on outside creek. The beginning of the Civil War
this page online
Erected 2002 by Dr. Samuel Gregg George Chapter 1855 of E Clampus Vitus.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the E Clampus Vitus series list. A significant historical month for this entry is April 1859.
Location. 36° 16.145′ N, 119° 12.419′ W. Marker is in Exeter, California, in Tulare County. Marker is on Farmersville Boulevard just north of Avenue 264, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 26401 Farmersville Boulevard, Exeter CA 93221, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Farmersville (approx. 2 miles away); The Electric Railroad (approx. 4˝ miles away); San Joaquin Roller Mill (approx. 4.6 miles away); Cairns Corner Olive Trees (approx. 5.7 miles away); The Hanging of J.G. McCrory (approx. 6.2 miles away); Visalia Chinatown (approx. 6.2 miles away); Visalia Saddle (approx. 6.3 miles away); Venice School (approx. 6.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Exeter.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 17, 2019. It was originally submitted on October 28, 2019, by Frank Gunshow Sanchez of Hollister, California. This page has been viewed 290 times since then and 70 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on October 28, 2019, by Frank Gunshow Sanchez of Hollister, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Wide area view of the marker and its surroundings. • Can you help?
