Valley Creek Station

(site located 2 mi. northwest) Near this site, an important link in the frontier transportation system was an area landmark. The Butterfield Overland Mail maintained a stage stop at the falls and crossing of Valley Creek beginning in 1858. The twice-weekly mail and passenger line stretched from San Francisco to St. Louis, crossing the southwest corner of Taylor County and passing six miles west of present Abilene. The path through Texas, known as the Oxbow Route, added about 600 miles to the 2,800 mile trip. The line moved out of Texas in March 1861, leaving this area sparsely settled. Ranchers later settled near Spring, Cottonwood and Valley creeks, and established the nearby community of Shep in the 1880s. (1968, 2007)

Valley Creek Station is a historical marker in Bradshaw, Taylor County, dedicated in 2007. It is one of 49 historical markers documented in Taylor County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 129 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 32.1636, -100.1358 near Bradshaw. The nearest cataloged historic site is Shep (cemetery), about 1.7 miles away. Others within a short drive include Bluff Creek, Dudley Memorial, and Coronado's Camp, In Vincinity of.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5441005629. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.