The San Antonio and San Diego Mail Line began service across Arizona to the Pacific coast in July 1857, with a stop here near Dragoon spring. Commonly known as the "Jackass Mail," the line used mules to pull coaches, and passengers were packed on mule-back across the Colorado Desert. After Congress passed the Overland Mail Bill in 1857 to begin twice-weekly mail service between St. Louis and San Francisco, construction of this station, one of 200 along the 2700-mile route, began in August 1858. Its early history was marred by the massacre of September 8, 1858, when three Overland Company employees were killed by their workers. Dragoon Springs Station was a swing station used only for changing horses or mules, unlike home stations that included a station master, cooks, and maintenance men. Mail service ended in March 1861 because of the onset of the Civil War, increased Indian hostilities, and the faster Pony Express service that had begun in 1860, and the route was moved north through Denver and Salt Lake City. During its two years of existence, the Overland Mail Company had a great economic impact by employing many people and drawing new settlers to Arizona. This place continued to serve as a brief stopping point during and after the Civil War, and the graves north of the station resulted from a battle between Confederate troops and Apaches in 1862.