Utah

A curbside monument in front of the First National Bank Building at 163 South Main Street commemorates the Great Salt Lake City Pony Express Station. A plaque, located near the entrance of the Tribune Building a few doors north of the monument, lists Utah Pony Express riders and superintendents. The Tribune Building stands at the former site of Salt Lake House, a historic hotel where many notable travelers, including Mark Twain, stayed while visiting Salt Lake City.

The availability of excellent water made Simpson Springs one of the most prominent stations in the West Desert. George Chorpenning established his second mail station at this site in 1858, which was later used by the Pony Express and the Overland Stage. A number of structures have been built and destroyed in the vicinity of Simpson Springs over the years. The current building is a replica, built in 1975 by the Future Farmers of America under the direction of the BLM.

George Chorpenning erected the station in 1858. Henry J. "Doc" Faust later purchased the land as a ranch and raised horses for the Pony Express and later military operations. Faust served as station keeper during the Pony Express era and lived on the land until 1870, when he moved to Salt Lake City and went into the livery business. As late as 1978, the stone station house and a cemetery still existed on private land. A misplaced marker also stands north of the site. 

Big Mountain Pass provided emigrants their first happy glimpse of the Valley of the Great Salt Lake. But reaching the valley required a hair-raising descent: wagons, with high centers of gravity, could not switchback down unimproved side-hill slopes for fear of toppling over and crashing down the mountainside. One of the highest points on the three trails, Big Mountain Pass, presented quite a challenge to travelers. Enjoy the view from this spot. Hiking trails are available.

After it stopped at the Salt Lake House, the Pony Express traversed through Murray City Park on its way to the first station south of Salt Lake City, Traders Rest/Traveler's Rest. Entering the park from State Street, the trail traveled near the Chief Wasatch statue. Travel less than 3 miles south on State Street to the location of the Traders Rest station and imagine how things have changed since 1861. 

At the time of the Pony Express, Camp Floyd provided troops for protection against Indian attacks and served to keep the trail open for the Pony Express, stage lines, and other travelers. The Pony Express Station was a small adobe building that stood several hundred feet northeast of John Carson's Inn. Though the Pony Express station has long since disappeared, the Inn still stands as the centerpiece of today's state park. The Inn has been restored and is open for visitation.

This Is the Place Heritage Park, near the location where Brigham Young first surveyed the valley in July 1847, represents the Mormon arrival. But as the City of the Saints grew from a rustic frontier village to a bustling territorial capital, many California-bound travelers paused here for a layover to rest, re-supply, or spend the winter. The Pony Express descended the canyon and went through town, too, carrying mail to a station on Main Street.

Echo Canyon Road evolved from an Indian trail into a wagon road, an early automobile highway (the Old Lincoln Highway), and a federal highway (U.S.-30). Today it is a narrow, winding frontage road. Proceed slowly and be prepared to stop along the road shoulder to view the historical features described in the entries below. Many of these historic features are on private land; please observe them from the public right-of-way.

The Steamboat Rocks (Echo Canyon), a series of geological formations that protrude into the canyon like a row of great ships at dock, were another emigrant landmark. They were called by other names, as well, including The Great Eastern and Noah’s Ark. Southwest of Steamboat Rocks is a meadow where Brigham Young’s 1847 company and later emigrants camped.

The Hanging Rock Pony Express Station (Echo Canyon), also called Halfway Station, was located near a spring about halfway down the canyon. Nothing remains of the relay station but a pony express marker post standing in a trowel-like wagon swale marks it’s approximate location. The "hanging rock" itself a small natural bridge is just around the curve to the south. The area was an immigrant campground.