The Route of the Pony Express Trail Pony Express National White Buffalo Nation, Inc. Historic Trail Bureau of Land Management Garden Pass National Trails System National Park Service

“Every neck is stretched, and every eye strained . . . Across the endless prairie a black spec appears . . . In a second or two it becomes a horse … and rider, rising and falling . . . sweeping toward us — growing more The Crowds Cheered On and more distinct, and the flutter of hoofs comes faintly to the ear — another instant a whoop and a hurrah from our upper deck, a wave of the rider’s hand, but no reply, and man and horse burst past our n 1845, it took six months to get a message from the East Coast Knowing that a healthy horse could typically run at a gallop for excited faces, and go winging away like a belated fragment of a storm.” of the United States to California. By the late 1850s, a half 8 to 12 miles, the developers needed to place stations at strategic I — Mark Twain, Roughing It, 1872. Traveling on the million people had migrated west and were demanding up-to- locations for its riders to change mounts. Existing stage stations Overland Stage in the summer of 1861 date news from home. Something had to be done to deliver mail and road ranches on the eastern end of the route would meet their faster and to improve communication in the expanding nation. needs, but new relay stations would have to be built in remote western areas. Alexander Majors purchased up to 500 mustang The Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express horses, hired 200 men to manage the stations, and signed up 80 Company, a subsidiary of a major freighting company owned riders to begin the first run of the Pony Express on April 3, 1860. by the firm of Russell, Majors, and Waddell, announced the formation of the Pony Express on January 27, 1860. In hopes of Although the Pony Express captured the admiration and hearts attracting a lucrative contract with the U. S. Postal Service, these of people around the world, it was a financial disaster for its entrepreneurs developed a proposal to carry letter mail and founders. Eighteen months after the Pony Express began, it ended telegraphs between Missouri and California in only 10 days. with the completion of the First Transcontinental Telegraph on

October 26, 1861. Charles Hargen’s First Ride of the Pony Express Pony Express National Museum, St. Joseph, Missouri

B DALLAS S N E SALEM N A BILLINGS r I O BOZEMAN r e A WALLOWA Y V 90 ive r MINNEAPOLIS ST. PAUL 94 v T E R e i N Yel v M lo i R N A R wstone is SALMON RIVER R siss r U MOUNTAINS C H ippi Mount Jefferson ive O S SALMON MONTANA S CORVALLIS R M L E E 10497ft s E L A DILLON orn 25 er WISC. e MOUNTAINS h v e t U E D BE ig Ri t 3200m u B L H ARTOOT B E t ch H M er e s M TS d R G e BAKER w iv m D O o er a McCALL U P l

l N

G i T A SOUTH DAKOTA MINNESOTA A W N I B B N I N S G SHERIDAN Be 29 90 EUGENE S A H lle Fourche Jo River BEND hn D R O A ay River R A Yellowstone O R N 35 Borah Peak Lake Cloud Peak PIERRE 5 K 12662ft A GREYBULL M 13187ft R R CODY 4020m 3860m O O

R U B A N 90 L T GILLETTE A 15 N A C E G C K G I RAPID CITY BURNS Jackson E N ROSEBURG OREGON N H T Lake S Harney Peak 90 E A I White SIOUX FALLS

SUN VALLEY River Malheur BOISE R K L 7242ft S S Lake na r L 2208m CAPE BLANCO Harney S ke N ve n N Ri S Crater Lake er O D Lake a I Riv e k ARCO T k A e A E a JACKSON Y n L IDAHO FALLS T S Pony Express National Historic Trail Summer P ver M Ri A isso O e Lake I N R E r W Fremont Peak 25 uri u Lake iv R Bla e W G g A e c v I i o E k i n G IOWA Designated routes of the R Abert T r fo N 13745ft d IDAHO N GRANTS PASS N V o R D Ri R U I t 4191m ver iver Pony Express National C C R A MEDFORD O O American Falls R Upper wy iv R n R WYOMING Historic Trail M hee E Reservoir e e I K Klamath Lake r e V

R N A r Avenue of Rocks E S G Nio

i S G brara v r R R Additional routes S N e R iver SIOUX CITY N KLAMATH FALLS r e E I

v Willow Springs orth Platte

E i 84 86 R CASPER N River R A T POCATELLO M LANDER Rocky Ridge S S N O G Station Independence A T Fort Caspar/ Goose Y E Split Rock Rock E Major sites ath Rive TWIN FALLS Guinard’s Bridge am r M u Burnt Ranch ater l Lake a W etw CRESCENT K e Swe River n Dry Sandy Crossing CITY ru L YREKA C B E Prospect Hill Bessemer Bend/ A 10272ft Guernsey Ruts 80 Clear Lake G Red Buttes Crossing R 3132m A E Additional sites Three lk N Pathfinder A ho KLAMATH Reservoir r Parting of the Ways Rocky Ridge rn Mount Shasta e Crossings Devil’s Gate Reservoir M Laramie Peak DES MOINES R ALMO iv A South Pass MALAD R MOUNTAINS 14162ft E R I r 4318m CITY r Big Sandy Crossing E Rive R N ea T iv B R GREAT er Pacific Springs ie R r E r ram ive e Seminoe La Fort Laramie R Bear iv Little Sandy R SCOTTSBLUFF s Station A VER MTS V Big Timber Reservoir T RI I R DIVIDE RAF Lake Crossing A Station W n R LOGAN s Fork Ficklin’ tation in Ham N No u Scotts Bluff/ rth NEBRASKA R r P EUREKA Clair Engle Q a BASIN latt Platte Rive G e r COUNCIL BLUFFS e RAWLINS Mitchell Pass Riv n OMAHA Lake A B er T E E R W Church Butte GRANGER reek Chimney Rock BELLEVUE E Promontory B C Loup River S 80 Horse E Mts A ROCK SPRINGS tation PLATTSMOUTH D Mud Springs S Lake K BRIGHAM CITY S C Courthouse Rock/Jail Rock McConaughy Big O A eek S Shasta R Great The Needles EVANSTON No Medicine Bow LARAMIE 25 T r d Springs Statio K P th Peak e Cr NORTH PLATTE B Lake Eagle AC Lodgepole Cree tation lu CAPE BL OGDEN C A Pla k GRAND ISLAND e REDDING Lake Salt tt 12013ft 80 Pol South LINCOLN WINNEMUCCA WELLS H Big Mountain Pass Fort Bridger R e MENDOCINO Lassen Pk 3662m Platte Diamon Plat 80 R Flaming Gorge K Station te iv Lake e 10457ft Riv W r NEBRASKA Reservoir CHEYENNE e o Bear River Crossing O’Fallon’s Bluff r od Riv ELKO er 3188m SUSANVILLE GERLACH S W CITY Kings Peak R JULESBURG M 35 N eber Stat Willow Island S r I Little Mountain Summit r A P KEARNEY Thirty-two Mile Station Station is Gr e 13528ft een e M so v r A v s Station i ve 4124m R i N d City u R i T GREAT SALT LAKE CITY iv R r R WENDOVER i t H t N er e G d um old 80 T R T A M O U N lue Station l r b rader ion U I N T A I k F S bo U SL Hous N S a Sand Hill e A n E Gilman’ Plum Creek Station R m v O SALT LAKE Station S R FORT Overlan Fort Kearny Station Liberty Farm 29 St. Joseph Riverfront Ferry Landing u i Rest STERLING L Rock Creek Station on iv N R s le e H tt O O COLLINS Little B r Pony Express Stable Pacific M Li r Pyramid LOVELOCK G Yam Patee House e Diamond Springs Point Lookou e I tion DESERT Camp Floyd/ pa N Longs Peak Marysville Pony v STEAMBOAT SPRINGS Lake NEVADA E i L Marshall Ferry Sulphur Springs VERNAL R 14255ft GREELEY r ittle Blue River R e Y Stagecoach Inn ive T e Express Barn k s r iv CHICO e 4346 R A The Narrows Chain Stati B S publican ku e eek Sta ou te Re E R Robert Station Indian Ford U th Plat n Ocean 80 U Log o ST. JOSEPH Station R MISSOURI t t R n Station PROVO 76 iv Hollenberg Station Kenne e Simpson Springs e RT Grubb ’s Deep Cr Cañon Station Duchesne River DINOSAUR r MARYSVILLE Statio m SE Cr eek Station Utah a E Station Guittard’s Station r r R D Faust’s Station Lake I ATCHISON 5 c e er RENO ILE Dry Cr eek N ver a iv OROVILLE Riv M Carson ’s Willow Springs Station W Ri R BOULDER Junction of the St. Joe and Swales S R Bucklands RTY Station IBAPAH h o FO We Antelope Spring Station i d Independence Roads n Sink Station t er a A ckee ee Schell Cr e Riv r Tru Station ll lo LEAVENWORTH Missouri River o N k Fish Springs Statio Mount Nebo C N R CALLAO Dugway Station 11877ft KANSAS CALIFORNIA Carso T G DENVER ter Statio Station CARSON on River alley UTAH 3621m Tutle Creek CITY Clear Strawberry Station Friday rs U 70 r MARYSVILLE Y CITY a AUSTIN Egan Station NEPHI E Lake e Station n C r Massasoit House Lake anks Station Station Boyd Station A e Lancas h Lake r t A ’s E iv e a Lake Spring V v Kans T R GLENWOOD SPRINGS i S as er Fifteen-milee Station Tahoe Fort Churchill A R Riv Five-mile Statio F 15 U Brockliss Bridge Cold Springs Station A 70 AUBURN StationVa Mormon Station n e L t Crossing lle r Wheeler Peak er r t GOODLAND e Sand Springs Station Riv A e a Hall Station ELY P v l y iv 13063ft i JUNCTION CITY C n R R Mount Elbert P Lake ic a ive R r er r 3983m ie E h Am Sev H o I 14433ft LEADVILLE t 70 O Stor Berryessa n d u Gillespie SACRAMENTO FOLSOM C e a 4399 o n PLACERVILLE Sportsman T e T r S e Station Placerville Statio Union House r o A Folsom Station Dur A l Mormon N GREAT BASIN G o SALINA Solano S A SANTA C N 70 S ’s House oc Station Woodford’s Station A COLORADO ROSA Station L A HAYS T r Sevier FILLMORE W B.F. Hastings e rk Ta k Lake GREEN RIVER GRAND JUNCTION a Building l SALINA P n ver E a Walker s W a Pikes Peak 35 80 n n 70 S s POINT r Lake 144110ft COLORADO SPRINGS lumne Rive 135 EMPORIA REYES Moke 4302m Steam ute O nnison River KANSAS er Ro V Gu Walnut Creek GREAT BEND D LaFayette House Statio STOCKTON A MOAB GUNNISON

S A R SA

a SONORA Mono N

n G Pawnee R

OAKLAND O iver A Lake R r

SANSan R Blue Mesa E ka iver TORREY L reek n nislaus R r D C s J Sta Reservoir as Francisco o E FRANCISCO A EY D TONOPAH O e PUEBLO R a L VAL Mount Ritter C iv C ive Bay q ITE R R r N u EM 13140ft IS i S T n n YO 4010m O G o ake d M River sn R A WHITE ra 25 nsas tle i Arka t SAN JOSE E v iver lo U A N M O U N T A T GARDEN CITY Ra e rced R Lake o J I N S DODGE S r Me C A N S LA JUNTA WICHITA MTS Powell S CITY

The route of the Pony Express ran from St. Joseph, Missouri, to San Francisco, existing overland stage stations, hotels, or substantial ranches along the route. Each relay stations. At the next home station, he would turn the mail over to the next rider. California. Home stations were located every 75 to 100 miles. These were often rider would begin his run at a home station and change horses six or eight times at