Packwood Station was a settlement established in Tulare County in 1857, on the Stockton - Los Angeles Road . From 1858 to 1861, it was a stagecoach station on the Butterfield Overland Mail route, 12 miles southeast of Visalia and 14 miles north of Tule River Station .[1]
The exact site of the settlement is unknown. It lay on land owned by the prosperous cattleman Elisha Packwood. In the winter of 1861 - 1862, the station, Packwood's cattle and all his other property were swept away in the flood waters of the Great Flood of 1862 . His once fertile land was buried in sand, making the vicinity worthless and the site unrecognizable. Losing all his net worth of $40,000 and nearly his life, Packwood moved to Oregon to attempt to rebuild his fortune.[2]
Municipalities and communities of Tulare County, California, United States
Butterfield Overland Mail 1st Division Stations
San Francisco – Western terminus and 1st Division headquarters, located in downtown San Francisco.Clarks's Station – Located 12 miles south of San Francisco in what is now San Bruno .Sun Water Station – Located 9 miles south of Clarks Station in what is now San Mateo .
Redwood City – Located 9 miles south of Sun Water Station.Mountain View Station – Located 12 miles south of Redwood City.San Jose Station – Located 11 miles south of Mountain View Station in the city of San Jose .
Seventeen Mile House – Located 17 miles south of San Jose.Gilroy Station – Located 13 miles south of Seventeen Mile House in what is now Gilroy, California .Pacheco Pass Station – Located 18 miles east of Gilroy near the top of Pacheco Pass .St. Louis Ranch – Located 17 miles east of Pacheco Pass.Lone Willow Station – Located 18 miles east of St. Louis Ranch near Los Banos .Temple's Ranch – Located 13 miles southeast of Lone Willow Station near Dos Palos .Firebaugh's Ferry – Located 15 miles southeast of Temples Ranch, on the San Joaquin River .Fresno City – Located 19 miles southeast of Firebaugh's Ferry.Elkhorn Spring Station – Located 22 miles east of Fresno City near present-day Riverdale .
Whitmore's Ferry – Located 17 miles southeast of Elkhorn Spring Station on the Kings River .Head of Cross Creek Station – Located 15 miles southeast of Whitmore's Ferry.Visalia – Located 12 miles southeast of Cross Creek Station.Packwood Station – Located 12 miles east of Visalia.Tule River Station – Located 14 miles south of Packwood Station.Fountain Spring Station – Located 14 miles southeast of Tule River Station.Mountain House – Located 12 miles south of Fountain Spring Station.Posey Creek Station – Located 15 miles southwest of Mountain House, on Posey (Poso) Creek .Gordon's Ferry (Kern River Station) – Located 10 miles south of Posey Creek Station on the Kern River just above present-day Bakersfield .Kern River Slough Station – Located 12 miles south of Gordons Ferry.Sink of Tejon Station – Located 14 miles southwest of Kern River Slough Station.Fort Tejon – Located 15 miles southwest of Sink of Tejon Station, north of and below the summit of Tejon Pass .Reed's Station – Located 8 miles southeast of Fort Tejon, near, to the south of the summit of the Tejon Pass.French John's Station – Located 14 miles east southeast of Reeds Station, in the vicinity of the mouth of Cow Springs Creek Canyon.Mud Spring , a later station operating in 1860, 14 miles east from French Johns and 13 miles north from Clayton's Station (formerly Widow Smith's Station). [1] Widow Smith's Station (Clayton's Station, Major Gordon's Station) – Located 24 miles from French John's Station, in upper San Francisquito Canyon near Green Valley .King's Station – Located 10 miles south of Widow Smith's Station in lower San Francisquito Canyon.Hart's Station or Lyons Station – Located 12 miles south of King's Station, in Santa Clarita .
Lopez Station – Located 81 ⁄2 San Fernando Valley north of Mission San Fernando Rey de España .Cahuenga Station – Located 12 miles southeast of Mission San Fernando, in Cahuenga Pass , of the Santa Monica Mountains . The first station of the 1st Division, it was located 12 miles northwest of Los Angeles .Source: "List of Butterfield Overland Mail Stations "Itinerary of the Route" (PDF) . New York Times. October 14, 1858.
[1] Notes of a Trip to Los Angeles No. 1, Daily Alta California, Volume 12, Number 3888, 5 October 1860 — Page 1
