Click on photo for more information.The Tule River Stage Station – California Historical Landmark #473
by Laurie Schwaller
The Tule River Stage Station serving the Butterfield Overland Mail stage route through Tulare County in 1858-1861 was housed on this site (which had been a riverside stopover on the old emigrant trail since 1854). In 1860, Royal Porter Putnam was the station’s keeper. In 1862, a huge flood moved the Tule River’s course south a mile. Convinced that the river would stay in its new course, Putnam bought 40 acres of land around the station’s site, got the parcel surveyed, and laid out the plat of a new town, still called Porterville today.
January 2026
NOTE: The Project Team will be conducting research for a full article page as volunteer time allows. Contact Us if you’d like to help research, write about, and/or illustrate this Treasure!
From Visalia, take Hwy 198 east to go south (right) onto Hwy 65 south toward Porterville.
Take the Linda Vista Ave. exit east (left) to N. Main St.
Go south (right) onto N. Main down to its intersection with Henderson Ave.
Go west (right) onto Henderson. The marker will be almost immediately on your left, on the SW corner of the intersection with Sunnyside Ave., in the small park dominated by the huge “Salute to the Farmer” statue.
Nearby Treasures: Porterville Historical Museum, Porterville Main Post Office, Tule River Parkway, First Congregational Church of Porterville, and the Zalud House Museum (check open days and times before you go, except for Tule River Parkway, which is always open, unless closed due to emergency conditions).
