FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact
Marilyn Heifner
Fayetteville Town Center
15 W. Mountain
Fayetteville, AR  72702
479-587-9944
FAX 479-582-4935

Heritage Trail Partners Dedicate Trail Signs in Springdale

Springdale, Ark. – October 6, 2006 – The Heritage Trail Partners in cooperation with the City of Springdale dedicated the first of numerous signs marking the Heritage Trail through Springdale, Wednesday, October 4. The signs will mark the Butterfield Stage coach route, the Trail of Tears, and Civil War troop movements. The routes associated with these three historic events make up the primary network of the Heritage Trail Plan.

Fitzgerald’s Station was a station stop on the Butterfield Stagecoach Route used for changing teams and maintenance. Of the nearly 200 stage stops the native stone barn at Fitzgerald Station is one of the few structures remaining. 

Dating back to September 18, 1858 John Butterfield began operating the longest stagecoach run in the history of the world. Mail coaches ran from Tipton, Missouri to San Francisco through Northwest Arkansas. The 2,800 mile route ran each direction twice a week. The coaches traveled 24-hours a day to make the trip in 25 days. Stagecoach stops were 20-miles apart allowing them to change teams and pick up mail. The Stagecoach ran non-stop from 1858 until 1861.

Diaries indicate that during the Indian removal, Fitzgerald’s was also a stopping point on the Trail of Tears in 1838.  It is known that at least 13 Indian contingencies came through Northwest Arkansas and it is suspected that at least 10 of those stopped at Fitzgerald’s for the night.

“Very few locations throughout the United States have watched as much of its history pass by, as this Fitzgerald's Station has,” Mayor Van Hoose said.

Heritage Trail Partners is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and supporting the design, development, and preservation and advancement of The Heritage Tail in western Arkansas.    

When completed, the trail will connect Northwest Arkansas to its rich heritage, cultural assets, and provide opportunities to experience the historic and natural environments of the area. 

If you would like more information on Heritage Trail Partners, please visit the website: www.heritagetrailpartners.com.  Butterfield Stage Coach Driving brochures are available at the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce, Arkansas Air Museum, Fayetteville Town Center, Springdale Chamber of Commerce, Shiloh Museum, Lowell City Administration Building, Lowell Historical Museum, Withrow Springs State Park, Bentonville/Bella Vista Tourist Information Center, Siloam Springs Tourist Information Center, and at the Bentonville A & P Commission, or by calling Marilyn Heifner at 479-587-9944.