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 Y V 90 ive r MINNEAPOLIS ST. PAUL 94 v A WALLOWA R e i T N E Y ello iv M 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 er o 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 B 29 90 S A ell EUGENE H e Fourche Jo River BEND hn D R O ay River R A Yellowstone O R 35 A N Cloud Peak PIERRE Borah Peak Lake K 5 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 P S Pony Express National Historic Trail Summer 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 i S G Niobr G ara 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 iv B R T e GREAT r Pacific Springs ie R r E r ram ive e Seminoe La Fort Laramie R Bear iv Little Sandy R SCOTTSBLUFF A VER MTS V Big Timber Reservoir T RI I R DIVIDE RAF Lake Crossing A Station W n R LOGAN s Fork Ficklin’s Station in Ham N No u Scotts Bluff/ rth NEBRASKA R r P EUREKA Clair Engle Q a BASI N latt Platte Rive G e r COUNCIL BLUFFS e RAWLINS Mitchell Pass Riv OMAHA A e Lake B r 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 Mud Springs Station PLATTSMOUTH D Lake K BRIGHAM CITY S C Courthouse Rock/Jail Rock McConaughy Big Shasta O A The Needles EVANSTON N Medicine Bow LARAMIE R Great o 25 K T P rth Peak NORTH PLATTE B Lake Eagle AC Lodgepole Cree lu CAPE BL OGDEN C A Pla k GRAND ISLAND e REDDING Lake Salt tt 12013ft 80 Pole Creek Station South LINCOLN WINNEMUCCA WELLS H Big Mountain Pass Fort Bridger R e MENDOCINO Lassen Pk 3662m Platte Diamond Springs Station Plat 80 R Flaming Gorge K Station te i v 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 Weber Station CITY Kings Peak R JULESBURG M 35 N Willow Island Station r I Little Mountain Summit r A P KEARNEY Thirty-two Mile Station is Gre e 13528ft en e M so v r A v i ve 4124m R i N 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 Traders R T A M O U N l r b U I N T A I k F S bo U SL House N S a Sand Hill e A n E Gilman’s Station Plum Creek Station R m v O SALT LAKE Station S R FORT Overland City Fort Kearny Station Liberty Farm Station 29 St. Joseph Riverfront Ferry Landing u i Rest STERLING L Rock Creek Station iv N le e H R tt O O COLLINS Little Blue Station r Pony Express Stable Pacific M Li r Pyramid LOVELOCK G Yam Patee House e Diamond Springs Point Lookout I DESERT Camp Floyd/ pa N Longs Peak Marysville Pony v STEAMBOAT SPRINGS Lake NEVADA E i Li Marshall Ferry VERNAL r ttle r Sulphur Springs R 14255ft GREELEY Blue Rive R e Y Stagecoach Inn ive T e Express Barn s r iv CHICO e B 4346 S R A blican The Narrows e ou te Repu E R Robert’s Creek Station Indian Ford U th Plat Ocean 80 U Log Chain Station o ST. JOSEPH Station R MISSOURI t R n Station PROVO 76 iv Hollenberg Station Kennekuk e Simpson Springs e RT Grubb’s Well Deep Creek StationCañon Station Duchesne River DINOSAUR r MARYSVILLE Station m SE Utah a E Station Guittard’s Station r r D Faust’s Station Lake I ATCHISON 5 c e R er RENO LE Dry Creek er a v OROVILLE iv I Carson Willow Springs Station W N Riv R Junction of the St. Joe and Swales S i R Bucklands TYM BOULDER R FOR Station Antelope Spring StationIBAPAH h do Independence Roads Sink Station it a A ckee Schell Creek Station e River r Tru Station lo LEAVENWORTH Missouri River o N Fish Springs Station Mount Nebo C N R Dugway Station CALLAO 11877ft KANSAS CALIFORNIA Carson T G DENVER Station CARSON on River UTAH 3621m Tutle Creek CITY Clear Strawberry Station Friday’s rs U 70 r MARYSVILLE Yanks Station CITY a AUSTIN Egan Station NEPHI E Lake e Station C r Massasoit House Lake Station Boyd Station A e Lancaster Station h Lake r t A E iv e a Lake Valley Spring Valley v Kans T R GLENWOOD SPRINGS i S as er Fifteen-milee Station Tahoe Fort Churchill A R Riv Five-mile Station F 15 U Brockliss Bridge Cold Springs Station A 70 AUBURN Mormon Station e Station L t Crossing r Wheeler Peak er r t GOODLAND e Sand Springs Station Riv A e a Hall Station ELY P v l iv 13063ft i JUNCTION CITY C n Ri R Mount Elbert P Lake ic a ve R r er r 3983m ie E h Am Sev H o I 14433ft LEADVILLE t 70 O Store StationBerryess a n d u Gillespie’s SACRAMENTO FOLSOM C e a 4399 o PLACERVILLE Sportsman T e T r S Placerville Station Union House r o A Folsom Station Duroc Station A l Mormon Tavern N GREAT BASIN G o SALINA Solano S A SANTA C N 70 S House Woodford’s Station A COLORADO ROSA Station L A HAYS T r Sevier FILLMORE W B.F.