What Are Those Rocks Out There?

In March 1860, Bolivar Roberts, J.G. Kelley, and a few others built Sand Springs Pony Express Station. Pony Express stations stood about every 10 miles to change horses and riders, while a stationmaster cared for the horses and listened for arriving riders sounding their horns. Sand Springs was an especially harsh place, with a roofless, chairless station, blowing sand day and night, and nearby well water heavy with sulphur that was barely drinkable. Men there endured loneliness, severe weather, and attacks by Indians, and many were killed. After the Pony Express ended in November 1861, the station continued as a stopover for freight wagons until the late 1800s, then lay buried in sand for many years until it was uncovered in 1976. Accounts from J.G. Kelley and Sir Richard Burton portray a filthy, dusty, desolate station where riders changed mounts quickly and pushed on across the barren country.

Nevada · United States