Pony Express National Historic Trail|Travel

Pony Express National Historic Trail (California, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming)

5/23/2014 Information on the Schell Creek Pony Express Station (Pony Express NHT [NV]).

The usual medallion

A cool sculpture ...

... and informative signage ...

... with emblem

5/24/2014 Pony Express trail crossing. ... Sand Springs PE Station and Sand Mountain Recreation Area (BLM). At the Sand Springs PE Station [NHT in NV] which was very nice in itself we saw the huge 500 foot dunes of Sand Mountain with little dots racing up and down.

A look along the Lincoln Highway crossing the NHT

A wider view showing both sides

Ken and me at the sign

Sand Springs signage

Too bad people have caused things to degrade ...

... but the ruins are still cool

A pretty flower

The typical PE post marker

Ken, me and Sand Mountain behind the PE Station

5/25/2014 California National Historic Trail The [Fort Churchill State Historic Park] site preserves the remains of an Army fort, providing protection from the Indians, and a waystation on the Pony Express and Central Overland Routes [NHT in NV] dating back to the 1860s. We checked out the museum, and went over to walk around the ruins, which were unusual in that they are adobe brick. ... [Dayton] Nevada PE Station/Overland Stage Station. ... [Carson City] We walked over to a marker for the Carson City PE Station, ...

The park sign

A Pony express marker ...

... and medallion

A long view of the ruins ...

... and one close up

Ken and me within the walls

Union Hotel, where the station was

The usual marker from front ...

... and back

The Carson City marker front ...

... and back

5/22/2015 In Gardnerville we stopped at the Friday’s Pony Express [NHT in NV] station marker, then took a detour along the lake in South Lake Tahoe to try for a better view but the clouds didn't cooperate. ... Strawberry Pony Express Station (NHT in CA) ... Bridge stone obelisks from original Riverton Bridge and Moore’s (Riverton) PE Station ... Pacific House PE Station ... Sportsman’s Hall PE Station ... Duroc House PE Station ... Clarksville/Mormon Tavern PE Station ... Folsom PE Station.

Trail sign

Friday's Station marker

Where we are on the map

The auto tour sign

Historical info

Me in an old trunk

Slippery Ford near Strawberry Station

Near where the Slippery Ford was

Moore's (Riverton) Station info

Pacific House Station

Not much left

A monument ...

... with medallion

Sportsman's Hall Station

Me pointing out ...

... the medallion

More info

The trail survey post

Ken reading the back of ...

... and me the front of ...

... the Duroc House Station marker

Where is this thing?

Clarksville/Mormon Tavern Station monument and post

Historical info

The survey post

Historical info for the Folsom Station

The Assay Office

A close-up

The usual medallion

Historical info

5/23/2015 We checked out the monument to the Pony Express [NHT in CA], and the Pony Express Terminal NHL. ... Rockville PE Station

Pony Express Monument

Historical info

A close-up of horse and rider

The Pony Express Terminal

Info on the extension to San Francisco

Rockville marker front ...

... and back

5/31/2019 First we made our way to the river, where despite the river being high on the banks and inundating park areas including a gazebo, we found an interpretive area for the Lewis & Clark (NHT) expedition for “St. Michaels Prairie”, along with the Pony Express, California and Oregon Trails (NHTs)[MO]. A little distance away we hit the John Patee House NHL (a contributing property in the Freedom’s Frontier NHA) where we really found more than expected. Completed in 1858 as a 140-room luxury hotel, office space included the headquarters and eastern terminus of the Pony Express. Outside there were many plaques and signs about the Pony Express - PE riders even stayed in rooms in the house. Going inside, although we hadn’t planned to, we paid the admission to take a quick walk through what was a truly excellent museum of period displays, with tons of stuff crammed into very effective presentations. My favorite was a beautifully restored and painted stagecoach exactly like the scale model I am building. There was even a full size railroad engine in the back inside of the museum. Upstairs we could view guest rooms done up as they would have been in the PE era. Having to keep it moving, we sadly left and moved on to the Pony Express Museum. After looking the stuff in Patee House we didn’t really need this, so we looked around the adjacent park and found some signage on things including the Oregon and California trails, and noted we were on the auto route for the California and Pony Express NHTs [MO]. Ken had seen a photo of a large PE sculpture that we couldn’t find, so we asked about it in the museum and were given directions up the block. We didn’t spot it, however, so we bailed and scoped out a nearby Taco Bell for lunch; it turned out to be across the street from the sculpture!

Flooded Missouri River

Interpretive panels ...

... about Lewis and Clark

Maybe flagpole base ...

... with Pony Express ...

... and OR/CA trail info

John Patee House

Lots of PE info ...

... including monument

NPS sign and trail emblem

Ken taking a photo of ...

... the NHL plaque

Cool stagecoach!

Me hanging on

One of the hotel rooms

Pony Express stables

Ken with OR/CA trail info

Me photoing ...

The Trail auto route signs

The elusive PE statue

National Historic Trails (Non-Units) - Pony Express