The Twenty Eleven Ride, Part 4

This was the 2nd of 3 articles I wrote for Endurance News following the 2001 XP.

XP’loring the Trail, 2000 Miles of Memories.  Be sure to click on the link to read the entire thing!  If you want to read my diary from the ride and see photos from all 8 weeks, click here.  Karen

Talk about anticipation! Most of the riders had waited months, years even…for the start of this ride and it was quite a spectacular one. The horses were loaded into trailers in St. Joseph, Missouri and hauled across the river to Elwood, Kansas. The morning was dark, humid, and dark clouds loomed menacingly overhead. Baseball sized butterflies fluttered around inside my stomach on the short trip to the start. We unloaded our already tacked up horses and just like that, we were off. After all the months spent dreaming about the ride here we were actually embarking on the adventure of a lifetime…

XP’loring the Trail, 2000 Miles of Memories

2001 Pony Express Ride

by Karen Chaton, Copyright 2002

Part 2 of 3

For many of us, riding the Pony Express trail brought on a whole new aspect to endurance riding. We were riding through history. I’ll try my best to cover some of the more historical aspects of the trail and the parts that the riders remember the most. Many of us are still realizing the significance and enormity of it all. To condense the details of the trail into mere words is not an easy task. Words really cannot contain the emotions or the experiences of what we went thru. Every traveler along this historical route 140 years ago encountered adventure, discovery and hardship which was revealed to each of us on the back of a horse as we progressed on our incredible journey.

In St. Joseph, Missouri we encountered our first National Historical Landmark, the Patee House Museum. The Patee House served as headquarters for the Pony Express in 1860-61. It was here that Pony Express operators Russell, Majors, and Waddell had their main office, and it was at Patee House where Pony Express riders stayed. The Pony Express was literally put together in a two month period during the winter of 1860. It was an enormous undertaking, assembling 156 stations, 120 riders, 400 horses and hundreds of employees, all during January and February of 1860 – without the benefit of radio, telephones, telegraph or even mail service. The Pony Express ran each week in each direction, with an average time of 10 days. The mail averaged almost 250 miles a day. The most significant thing the Pony Express accomplished was to help hold California and its gold – for the Union at the start of the Civil War.

Talk about anticipation! Most of the riders had waited months, years even…for the start of this ride and it was quite a spectacular one. The horses were loaded into trailers in St. Joseph, Missouri and hauled across the river to Elwood, Kansas. The morning was dark, humid, and dark clouds loomed menacingly overhead. Baseball sized butterflies fluttered around inside my stomach on the short trip to the start. We unloaded our already tacked up horses and just like that, we were off. After all the months spent dreaming about the ride here we were actually embarking on the adventure of a lifetime. Prior to the ride, we had received instructions from The Duck on How It Will Work, as follows:

On the morning of the ride we will assemble at the parking lot at Riverfront Park and get last minute instructions. From there you will have your saddled and bridled horse in the trailer and ready to go. Your driver will take you across the bridge and to the very limited parking area at the start. You will jump your horse out of the trailer and ride off. You should practice this before you get to St. Joe. I can jump out of the truck, unload my horse and be in the saddle in less than 30 seconds. That is less time than it takes for the light to change green. Practice it, watch Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid over and over. See how the Pinkertons got off the train. Get good at it. We may shoot the stragglers. I want to see this go off like a commando raid. We are going to unload 80 head of horses in less than five minutes and hit the trail. Within 15 minutes there will be nothing there but hoofprints.

We encountered some of the unfriendliest weather the first week of the ride. It rained. Then it rained some more. Since it was June, it was also very hot. I soon understood why no endurance rides are run in these states during this time of the year. The horses handled it better than we did. Riders choosing to ride continued on, undaunted by the incredibly harsh conditions. We were hot, tired and stressed to our limits. Yet, somehow it was bearable. We believed it would get easier (we weren’t always right!), and became enthralled with the history on the trail. Oregon, California, Mormon and Pony Express Trail markers illuminated the way for us. Fascinated by history, most of us rode from marker to marker soaking in every word on each and every one. Understanding and appreciating more and more why doing this ride was so important to so many of us.

After many days of riding past corn fields, cemeteries, thru rain and mud, we arrived at the very spot that the Plum Creek Massacre occurred on August 8th, 1864 in what is now Phelps County, Nebraska. The massacre was part of a concerted attack by the Sioux, Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians. Ranches, stage stations, homesteaders’ cabins and wagon trains were attacked and burned. Men, women and children were killed outright or captured. Some captives were tortured and killed, some were ransomed. I rode off trail to visit the gravesites here, then continued on to the finish, passing signs indicating that we were going by the location of an original Pony Express station. We were camped near here for the night after finishing the 8th day of the ride. The trail was finally drying out and we were quite happy to be seeing blue sky. The horses were thriving on the abundance of lush green grass that was everywhere.

The pine bluffs of Nebraska and Chimney Rock signaled the true west for the pioneers and the end of plains travel and the beginning of the rugged mountain portion of the journey. No one was happier to pass the Rock than the “Riders of the Lost Duck”, as we knew we were going to get relief from the humidity. The tip of Chimney Rock rises 445 feet above the North Platte River Valley. Chimney Rock is actually about two miles south of the main trail, but was in the view of westbound emigrants for 30 to 40 miles from the east, or two full days’ travel. We only saw Chimney Rock on our 15th ride day, since we were covering 50 miles a day. Chimney Rock Station was an important Pony Express stop between stations at Courthouse Rock and Ficklin’s Springs.

I remember seeing Chimney Rock from a distance and wondering how the original Pony Express riders handled the heat we were riding in. We finished the ride in Melbeeta that day, where a thermometer read 108 degrees with a high % of humidity. Our crews were literally our lifelines. A local resident had pulled a water hose out into the street where the finish and vet check was while local residents sat in the shade of a tree watching us cool our horses down after finishing. Everybody we met along the way was so friendly to us. Farmers and residents always welcomed us with open arms and gave us water. Many of them took the time to explain local history and landmarks to us. Children delighted in watching the horses, their imaginations running wild.

Wheel ruts worn to a depth of five feet in places can still be seen in Guernsey, Wyoming. This was our basecamp after finishing ride day 17, made most memorable by the extremely breathtaking sunset and sunrise. On the ride in to Register Cliff that day we rode thru farmers’ fields that were filled with wagon train ruts. Register Cliff is covered with the names of emigrants with many of the signatures including names, dates and a hometown.

Northeast of Farson is where a single set of old wagon ruts abruptly split into two distinct tracks. It is one of the most dramatic, historic sites in Wyoming. There is nothing to be seen for miles around except an unbroken expanse of wide open, sage-covered plains and the two trails branching out from the parting. Steph Teeter writes about the Parting: “We stopped at one monument, the ‘Parting of the Ways’, which was a point in the trail where some travelers went south – and some headed north. The description mentioned the sorrow of parting after having traveled together for 1000 miles, probably never to see each other again. There must have been some lingering spirit there – I was overwhelmed by emotion – and afterwards discovered that others had felt the same thing. This awe and respect for the Oregon trail – and the travelers – has been somewhat of a surprise to me. I’m not much of a history buff (too much excitement in the ‘here and now’) and didn’t anticipate how much it would affect me. The riding, the scenery, the XP2001 adventure – all of this has been wonderful, but the sense of history has been the most overwhelming.”

Dr. Barney in a tutu? I’m not sure this really ranks as one of the most memorable days for some of the riders, yet it is at least worth mentioning. This is the same day that 14 year old Kayla Ramsdell recalls as one of the most memorable days she had on the ride. It was day 24, and she had ridden 50 miles every day until then on her two horses, Gem and Buddy. Going into the vet check Buddy tripped and somersaulted over, injuring himself and narrowly missing injuring her. She continued the second half of the ride on another horse. Only missing AERC credit for this one day, Kayla rode the entire 2000 mile Pony Express trail.

Farson, Wyoming has a general store right on the corner that sells the absolute best ice cream. Even though most riders were taking almost all day to complete they all managed to make it over to the store to get an ice cream cone. Small things like this were quite uplifting to the worn and weary.

South Pass, Wyoming is one of the great discoveries in the American West. Lt. John Charles Fremont is credited with widely publicizing the route over South Pass as a result of his expedition in 1842. Hundreds of thousands of people heading for Oregon, California, Nevada and Utah would use the trail in the following 20 years. Nearly every emigrant journal records traversing South Pass. Though the road ahead was still long and hard, crossing the Continental Divide was a victory and cause for celebration. Most riders would not have even realized that they had crossed over the Continental Divide had it not been for the historical markers along the trail. The State of Wyoming probably had the best and most elaborate historical markers along the route.

Called “The Great Register of the Desert”, Independence Rock, Wyoming is a 193 foot high granite boulder with a base that covers more than 27 acres. More than 5,000 names were carved on it by explorers, trappers, adventurers, scientists, missionaries, soldiers and emigrants. It was named during a celebration held there on July 4, 1830, by a party of fur trappers led by William Sublette. Dublin Hart recalls Jeff Herten singing Yankee Doodle Dandy as the sun rose on that memorable 4th of July as they rode towards Independence Rock.

Devil’s Gate in Wyoming is a 370 foot high, 1500 foot long cleft, carved over the centuries by the Sweetwater River. According to Shoshone and Arapahoe legend, a powerful evil spirit in the form of a tremendous beast with enormous tusks ravaged the Sweetwater Valley, preventing the Indians from hunting and camping. A prophet informed the tribes that the Great Spirit required them to destroy the beast. They launched an attack from the mountain passes and ravines, shooting countless arrows into the creature. The enraged beast, with a mighty upward thrust of its tusks, ripped a gap in the mountain and disappeared thru Devil’s Gate, never to be seen again.

We passed marked gravesites as we rode thru this area and saw replicas of the handcarts emigrants used to carry all of their belongings across on the Oregon, California and Mormon trails. Many riders mentioned having ancestors who came across these trails before us. It was quite an enlightening experience to get a taste of what their lives must have been like. Our days were long and hard but I’m sure nowhere near as difficult.

Old Julesburg, Colorado was a rough frontier town named for Jules Reni, a French Canadian frontiersman who was also a Division Agent for the Pony Express. Julesburg was a gathering place for unsavory characters. Strange things were happening in the area, the stage schedules were disordered, wagon trains were attacked by outlaws, and livestock was stolen. Soon it was learned that Reni himself was the leader of the outlaws. Russell, Majors and Waddell discharged Reni and replaced him with Captain Jack Slade. Furious at his discharge and replacement, Reni ambushed Slade and shot him. Slade survived, and after recovering, hunted Reni down. He tied his prisoner to a corral post overnight in the cold. The following morning Slade began to use Reni for target practice. Reni died with 22 holes in him. Slade cut off his ears and carried them around as souvenirs. I picked up a small rock from each state we rode thru as souvenirs. Here, we peacefully slept to the sounds of trains running all night long. We were only in Colorado for this one night.

Fort Bridger, Wyoming was established in 1843 by Jim Bridger and Louis Vasquez. Located on the Black’s Fork River, the fort was second only to Fort Laramie as the most important outfitting point for the emigrants and Mormons traveling the Oregon Trail. During our weekend stay at Fort Bridger, the junior riders performed mochilla transfers during Pony Express re-enactments for the public. We rode thru quite a storm to arrive at Fort Bridger that day, our 26th ride day. It was quite something to trot into the Fort in much the same way as the original Pony Express riders did. History abounds here with museums and many restored buildings.

Camp Floyd, Utah was the site of Johnston’s Army Post from 1858 to 1861. It was the largest military installation in the U.S. at the time. It was also a way station for the Pony Express. It provided troops to protect against Indian attack and kept the trail open for the Pony Express and stage line. We hauled to the start on this, the 29th day of the ride and memories include trotting over thousands of Mormon crickets. It was very hot. One of the farms has a broken irrigation pipe spraying water into the road and riders stood in it, getting sprinkled and cooled.

The next station west was Faust Station, now only a ghost town. Was this named for some Faustian urge in the whole operation? Was this some literary Rider’s salute to the enterprise, as one might find in the California Gold Rush, where there were so many literary miners, the second sons of well-bred families, with the finest education that the era provided? No, this is not a stop named for Goethe’s Faust. This is “Doc” Faust’s two-story structure, the enterprise of a German migrant surviving on the edge of the Frontier. We rode thru here on a Friday the 13th.

Further west is another intact Pony Express station of major importance. The station is on the ranch of David and Reubo Bagley, known as the Willow Springs Station, in Callao, Utah. The small community of Callao may have the largest number of old log cabin buildings in the West. We saw the second-largest Fremont poplar tree in the U.S. The historic Pony Express building is an adobe structure faced with board siding. Mark Twain and Horace Greeley slept here, among other notables. Besides being a Pony Express station, the site was also a stage stop. We rode thru Callao on the 31st day.

We rode past a BLM holding pen filled with horses and couldn’t help but wonder – what were the Pony Express horses like? Originally, 600 mustangs were purchased along the route by Russell, Majors, & Waddell. Those same horses still run wild in the imagination while their descendants run across the physical landscape.

The Nevada desert is broken up by almost a hundred separate mountain chains, all running north and south. We rode nearly 500 miles of the original Pony Express trail thru this uninhabited and desolate area. One of the Nevada Stations was Simpson Springs. It bears the name of explorer Captain J.H. Simpson who stopped here in 1858 while searching for the overland mail route between Salt Lake City and California. It was one of the most dependable watering points in this desert region. Remains of an original Pony Express station are here. The sunset the evening we spent here after finishing day 29 was truly one of the best ones of the trip, complete with rainbows and intense colors in the clouds. With not a modern structure or convenience in sight, we realized that the area has not changed since the times of the Pony Express. This section of trail was very special because we were riding from Station to Station. One could get a real sense of what it was like 140 years ago.

Fort Schellbourne, in the foothills of the Schell Creek Range in Nevada, was a Shoshone village site long before it began its recent historic career in 1859. Captain James Simpson passed through the site and this point, looking for a short route across the Great Basin. That same year an overland stage and mail station was built at Schellbourne. In 1860, the Pony Express Company used the same facilities, and when the telegraph arrived in 1863, it passed over this same route. Schellbourne boasts a small bar, restaurant, motel, gas pump and is the basecamp for the popular Summer XP 5-day ride.

Diamond Springs Pony Express Station, Nevada. What is buried there. What? Yes, a horse named “What”. The historical marker reads: “In September of 1860 Pony Express rider George “Boston” Scovell was attacked by concealed Indians after crossing “Chockop’s Pass” and riding down Telegraph canyon. His ride was from Ruby Station when the attack occurred approximately three miles east of this site. He and his horse were both hit with arrows. The horse’s name was “What”. He got that name due to his question mark type blaze. “What” carried “Boston” safely to the station. This brave horse died due to wounds from the arrows that day and was buried near the station.” We spent our lunch hour on the 34th day of the ride next to What.

Many people don’t know that Virginia City had its very own Pony Express! “The Virginia City Pony” operated from 1862-65 and was operated by Wells Fargo & Company. The Virginia Pony was inaugurated on August 11, 1862 and carried letters at 10 cents per half-ounce (plus the government stamp), and was used for speedier service of important business letters and newspapers. A pony was used between Virginia City and Placerville, CA, then by rail between Placerville and Sacramento, and by boat between Sacramento and San Francisco. The time between Sacramento and Virginia City was fourteen hours, and from San Francisco twenty-four hours. The last delivery of the Virginia City Pony was made on March 17, 1865.

Riding into the finish in Virginia City, Nevada was one of the true highlights of the entire ride. It was a bitter-sweet closing to an exciting chapter of our lives. An adventure that was truly one in a lifetime, and one we will never forget.

Next time we’ll go over some of the individual rider and horse accomplishments.