Sportsman’s Hall was California’s only Home Station on the Pony Express trail where riders changed. At 8:01 A.M. on April 4, 1860, Sam Hamilton, the first eastbound rider, was relieved here by Warren Upson, who carried the initial mail over the then storm swept Sierras. The route named here runs from Sacramento to Friday’s, Salt Lake City, Ft. Laramie, Julesburg, Ft. Kearny, Marysville, and St. Joseph.