A stop for the old Butterfield Stage as early as 1860. When the railroad arrived in 1880, it became the shipping point for the mines around Tombstone, 25 miles to the south, and the site of the "Gunfight at O.K. Corral." The first explorer of this region, in 1539, was the black Moroccan, Esteban, the first non-native to set foot in what is now the United States. Glimpsing the sun gleaming on the straw roofs of distant Zuni pueblos, Esteban mistakenly reported them to Coronado as cities of gold, setting off Coronado's lengthy search for the "Seven Cities of Cibolo," an expedition responsible for the introduction of the horse to the Southwest. Just south of Benson, in Sierra Vista, is the U.S. Army's Fort Huachuca.

Benson is an unstaffed stop with a platform and trackside shelter. There is a public pay telephone located at the bank branch across the street from shelter. A Dairy Queen restaurant is also located across the street from the boarding area.