Strategically placed relay stations across the western frontier were a major factor in the early success of the Pony Express mail service. Station keepers at these outposts prepared swift, fresh, rested horses for each rider and, often working in pairs, kept watch day and night for incoming riders. Their living conditions varied widely by location and situation. Home stations were generally better established and more accommodating, even luxurious by some standards, while remote relay stations, especially in the West, were often exceedingly primitive. In St. Joseph, Missouri, Patee House was one of the most luxurious hostelries on the frontier, a four story brick building well known for its social life and gala balls and parties. Smith Hotel in Seneca, KS, and the Salt Lake House in Utah also served as comfortable home stations for riders and company personnel. West of Salt Lake City and across the Great Basin to California, accommodations and quality of life tended to decline. There, hot, dry summers and bitter, cold winters often were the only companions for station keepers, and loneliness and idle time were interrupted by the need to fend off horse thieves and Indian attacks. Frequently exposed to danger, many lost their lives in this daring American enterprise, making the station keepers the true unsung heroes of the Pony Express.