In 1859, A.G. Barrett built the Barrett Hotel at the corner of Eighth and Broadway from native lumber made at his sawmill on the Black Vermillion River. It was one of the largest hotels on the Overland Route between the Missouri River and the Rocky Mountains, and it was managed by Mr. and Mrs. Perry Hutchinson. Horse stables behind the hotel on the south side of the alley were owned by Joseph Cottrell. The hotel served as a station site for the Pony Express and Stagecoach. The Pony Express began on April 3, 1860, and ended on November 20, 1861. The first westbound Pony Express rider stopped here around 6:25 a.m. on April 4, 1860, and the first eastbound rider came through around 7:00 a.m. on April 13, 1860.