Desert Station, established in 1859, was east of
Gila Ranch Station through
Pima Pass, amidst the
Fortymile Desert in the great bend of the
Gila River, on
West Prong Waterman Wash. It lay west of
Maricopa Wells Station. Desert Station had its own well. Two tanks were established on the route, one between Desert Station and Gila Ranch and another between Desert Station and Maricopa Wells station to water the horses as they crossed the desert. The two riverside stations were tasked to carry water to supply the tank nearest them. In March 1861, the Butterfield line shut down, but during the
American Civil War, Desert Station's remained a stop for freighters and passing travelers coming into the New Mexico Territory from the riverport of
Arizona City on the
Colorado River. It also saw the passage of the troops of the
Confederate Army that briefly passed through to the west and then fell back before the advance of the
California Column of the
Union Army that invaded
Confederate Arizona and occupied
New Mexico Territory in 1862. ==References==