The valley of Lodgepole Creek was a corridor for historic trails, telegraph lines, and railroads. The Pony Express followed the valley in 1860-61, with Nine Mile station just southeast of present Chappell and Pole Creek No. 2 station a few miles west. Near Sidney, the trail turned northwestward, passing Mud Springs station and Courthouse Rock on the way to the North Platte River. In 1861 the first transcontinental telegraph line was built through the valley, and stagecoaches of the Central Overland Route soon followed, carrying passengers and mail. Former Pony Express stations continued in use on the stage line, supplying lodging and provisions for travelers. When the Union Pacific Railroad reached the area in 1867, wagon and stagecoach travel declined. Modern highways now retrace these historic routes through the valley. Two miles east lies Chappell, first only a railroad siding; its townsite was surveyed in 1884, a post office was established two years later, and it became the county seat of Deuel County in 1894.