Oak Grove Butterfield Stage Station is located in the western foothills of the Laguna Mountains, in northern San Diego County, California. It is located on State Route 79, northwest of

Warner Springs Warner Springs is set of springs and a small unincorporated community in northern San Diego County, California. Warner Springs is on the Pacific Crest Trail. Geography Warner Springs has a post office and the ZIP code is 92086. It is located n ...

and Warner's Ranch. The station was built on the site of Camp Wright, an 1860s Civil War outpost.

Camp Wright

During the American Civil War, Camp Wright was a Union Army outpost in the Pacific Coast Theater of the American Civil War. It was established to protect the route to Fort Yuma on the Colorado River, and intercept secessionist sympathizers traveling to the east to join the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

.Warner Spring Ranch Resort.com: History— John Warner
A detachment of California Volunteer cavalry and infantry first established Camp Wright at Warner's Ranch near Warner Springs, in October 1861. The cold and windy conditions in the higher altitude of the exposed San Jose Valley caused the commander to change its site to the more sheltered Oak Grove location in November. At about the same time, the Dan Showalter party of secessionists were attempting to avoid the post and make their way across the desert to join the

in Texas. They were pursued from Temecula by a

1st Regiment California Volunteer Cavalry The 1st Regiment California Volunteer Cavalry was a cavalry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It was first formed of five companies as 1st Battalion, 1st Regiment California Volunteer Cavalry between August and October 31, ...

patrol from Camp Wright, intercepted in the hills west of the San Jose Valley (site of Warner's Ranch) with the support of a

1st California Infantry The 1st Regiment California Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It spent its entire term of service in the western United States. History Most of the 1st California was recruited from Augu ...

detachment from the camp, and captured without shots being fired November 20–29, 1861. After being imprisoned at Fort Yuma, Showalter and the others were released upon swearing loyalty to the Union. They later made their way to the Confederacy. For a short time in March 1862 Camp Wright was the headquarters of the

5th Regiment California Volunteer Infantry The 5th Regiment California Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It spent its entire term of service in the western United States, attached to the Department of the Pacific and Department o ...

before it moved on.Records of California men in the war of the rebellion 1861 to 1867, By California. Adjutant General's Office, SACRAMENTO: State Office, J. D. Young, Supt. State Printing. 1890. p.672
/ref> Used for the rest of the war as a transit camp for troops moving along the road to and from

New Mexico Territory The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of ''Santa Fe de Nuevo México ...

and

Arizona Territory The Territory of Arizona (also known as Arizona Territory) was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of ...

, the camp was abandoned in 1866. The Oak Grove Butterfield Stage Station, in operation between 1858 and 1860, is the only surviving station of the Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach line across the Western United States. The adobe building the

stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...

station used was built in 1858, and on the former site of Camp Wright (1861-1862). It was a stop between Los Angeles and Fort Yuma on the San Francisco to St. Louis route. It is a well-preserved one-story

adobe Adobe ( ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for ''mudbrick''. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of e ...

building among California oak woodlands.

Historic Landmarks

The site of Camp Wright was registered as a California Historical Landmark in 1950. The Oak Grove Butterfield Stage Station on its site was registered as a separate California Historical Landmark in 1952. The Oak Grove station was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961.Patricia Heintzelman and Charles Snell (1975) , National Park Service and The location of another nearby station at Warner's Ranch, is also a National Historic Landmark.

References

External links

National Park Service: Oak Grove Butterfield StationNational Park Service—Discover Our Shared Heritage program: "Early History of the California Coast"
— ''travel Itinerary''. {{National Register of Historic Places in California Butterfield Overland Mail in California Adobe buildings and structures in California Transportation buildings and structures in San Diego County, California California in the American Civil War Forts in California American Civil War army posts Warner Springs, California History of San Diego County, California California Historical Landmarks National Historic Landmarks in California National Register of Historic Places in San Diego County, California 1858 establishments in California 1850s in California 1860s in California Closed installations of the United States Army American frontier Laguna Mountains Stagecoach stations on the National Register of Historic Places Stagecoach stations in California Transportation buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in California

Camp Wright

Historic Landmarks

See also

References

External links