I don't know much about the Pony Express outside of that it only lasted about 18 months and involved riders galloping horses from one station to another carrying mail. It was challenging and dangerous work and usually the riders were young men or teenagers due to its rigorous challenges.
Recently Mountain Mama Jessica and her family drove through the Utah desert and visited the Simpson Springs Station of the Pony Express.
The structure on the site is a replica that was built in 1975.
The building was actually a simple dugout. Pony Pal Cambria and Cowpoke Titan enjoyed climbing in through the windows and dropping down inside.
Because the site had an excellent spring (hence the name) it was a very important stop on the Pony Express. Simpson Springs Station is located in the West Desert of Utah in Tooele County.
After visiting the Pony Express site, Jessica and her family continued on driving through the desert. And they found some horses!
For a really detailed account of the history of Simpson Station, including Buffalo Bill Cody's recollections of riding through it several times, go here. It's really fascinating!
While driving across country to Denver I stopped at a Pony Express station that was at a highway rest stop. They had a saddle on display along with lots of other items. I recall that the poster for recruiting said that they were looking for orphans, since the ride was so dangerous!
ReplyDelete