Pinery Station
historic place
Pinery Station, in Culberson County, Texas, was a key relay point on the Butterfield Overland Mail route. Built in 1858, this historic place served as a fortified stop for stagecoaches traveling between St. Louis and San Francisco. Its stone walls, 30 inches thick and 11 feet high, protected a corral and a three-room station house. Pinery Station, the highest on the Butterfield route, offered fresh horses and meals to travelers. The station operated for eleven months, from September 1858 until August 1859. It was abandoned when the mail route shifted south. A historical marker, erected by the State of Texas in 1936, commemorates its role. Today, the Pinery Station ruins stand within Guadalupe Mountains National Park, marking a significant era in transcontinental communication and travel. The Pinery was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.