New Year's Day is a great day for a little get-away drive, and the west desert area of Utah is one of our favorites. We particularly like the Old Pony Express Trail. This is the actual route of the Pony Express riders of 1860-1861. We stopped at the Simpson Springs stop, which is probably the best example of one of the stops along the route, which ran from St. Joseph, MO to Sacramento, CA for a period of only 19 months.
This station bears the name of explorer Captain J.H. Simpson who stopped here in 1858 while searching for an overland mail route between Salt Lake City and California. It is one of the most dependable watering points in this desert region.
Later on, from 1939-1942, a CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) camp was established in the area, and a few foundations and corner markers are still standing (see third picture).
This station bears the name of explorer Captain J.H. Simpson who stopped here in 1858 while searching for an overland mail route between Salt Lake City and California. It is one of the most dependable watering points in this desert region.
Later on, from 1939-1942, a CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) camp was established in the area, and a few foundations and corner markers are still standing (see third picture).