For your consideration is this 1860 chromolithograph paper advertisement presented by Overland Mail Company. The Overland Mail Company was started in 1857 and had its headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. The business was in charge of routinely transporting mail and passengers over 2,800 miles from Missouri to California. John Butterfield, a well-known businessman and stagecoach driver at the time, was given a contract by the American government that led to the creation of the Overland Mail Company. According to the contract, the business was in charge of transporting mail from St. Louis, Missouri, to San Francisco, California, with stops along the way, in a predetermined amount of time. The stagecoach, the most dependable method of long-distance transportation at the time, served as the company's main mode of transportation. The Overland Mail Company used stagecoaches that were built with speed, durability, and lightness in mind. They could transport up to nine passengers, along with mail and other cargo, and were drawn by teams of horses or mules. Along its route, the company also built and maintained a number of stations that offered drivers and passengers lodging, food, and water. During its operations, the Overland Mail Company encountered numerous difficulties, such as difficult terrain, severe weather, and threats from Native American tribes. Despite these difficulties, the company was successful in consistently delivering mail and passengers across the nation. The company operated for just under three years, from 1858 to 1861, before it was forced to suspend operations due to the outbreak of the Civil War. The chromolithograph shows a stagecoach carrying mail and passengers through the American West. Six horses pull the coach along a rocky path dotted with bushes and trees. The scene is framed on the left and right sides by tall trees and a distant, snow-capped peak. The driver is sitting at the front of the stage and is holding a whip. The coach is shown with several passengers inside and on top of it. The initials "B.S. & Co." are painted on the door and "Overland Mail Company" is written on the side of the coach above it. The stage was used by Barlow, Sanderson & Company, a significant stagecoach company that was established in the early years of the Civil War and initially ran in Missouri, based on those initials. The chromolithograph was created by Britton & Rey of San Francisco, the leading print and lithograph makers in California at the time. The chromolithograph shows great condition for its antique age with no signs of wear or damage. The chromolithograph measures 15 7/16" L x 21 7/8" W.