The Bismarck-Deadwood Stage Trail ran about 240 miles from northeast to southwest and carried passengers and freight between Bismarck, the western terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad, and Deadwood. In 1877 the Dakota Territorial Legislature commissioned its survey after rich mineral deposits in the Black Hills had been confirmed by an 1874 expedition led by General George Custer. The first four-horse Concord stagecoaches, owned by the Northwestern Express, Stage and Transportation Company, began traveling from Bismarck in April 1877, and daily service was operating by May. A typical run took 36 hours, a one-way ticket cost $23, and as many as 26 stagecoaches and more than 200 teams made up the rolling stock. The company also used many mule and oxen wagons to haul freight. Twenty relay stations and two overnight stations served the line. After a shorter trail to the Black Hills opened from Pierre, the Bismarck route was abandoned by official traffic by late 1880, and it later served area ranchers and settlers until a modern road system was developed.