Honoring the centennial of the arrival of the first land coach carrying mail and passengers from the eastern part of the United States, this stamp was first placed on sale at San Francisco, CA. John Butterfield was an organizer of stagecoach companies and the founder of the first overland mail service to California. His interests also included canal boats and lake-steamer lines. Butterfield began the American Express Company in 1850 by merging several smaller firms. His Overland Mail Company mail during the 1850's and 1860's from St. Louis to San Francisco and Portland, OR.