Mormon Tavern
". . . there were as many as two dozen inns or taverns maintained by Mormons in El Dorado County and surrounding areas. Porter Rockwell himself maintained three of them…
Mile 2148: Placerville
"And Hangtown—what of it? Built flimsily at a carefree slant on the two sides of a shallow pine-filled canyon, the log-framed, canvas-roofed buildings of '49 gradually gave way to better…
Mile 2126-2148: Pacific House to Placerville
Fifteen miles above Hangtown [Placerville] the teams reached Pacific House, at fourteen, Bullion Bend, where a stage was held up and loot is supposed to be buried; at twelve, Sportsman's…
Mile 2098: Strawberry, CA
"[The hostelry at Strawberry] belonged to a man named Berry who sold straw under the name of hay and received the unflattering sobriquet old Straw Berry."
Mile 2062-2098: Original Route over Echo Summit
"The Pony Express, in 1860, passed up West Carson Canyon into Hope Valley and then northward through Luther's Pass, up to Echo Lake by way of Johnson's pass, at the…
Mile 2207: Western Terminus
"Great Place to visit the Pony Express Trail and discover its history- Old Town Sacramento! The Pony Express Terminal, also known as the B. F. Hastings Bank Building, was one of…
Mile 2135: Sportsman’s Hall
"Sportsman's Hall was California's only Home Station. It was frequently called the Twelve Mile House and sometimes simply referred to as 'The Hall.' It was opened in 1852 by Scotland…
Camping
"From West of Casper, WY to outside of Sacramento, CA free camping on public lands can happen almost anywhere you can find a place to put your sleeping bag down. I…
Overland Mail Road Improvements
"The year following the establishment of the Pony Express, the Southern Daily Overland Mail, which had been established in 1859 through northern Texas to California was transferred to the Central or Simpson route, its…
Chorpenning Moves Back to the Central Route
"In June of [1859] Captain Simpson, of the United States Topographical Engineers, surveyed a new route from Camp Floyd to Genoa, which it was claimed would shorten the distance about 300 miles. The distance…
Mile 2076: South Lake Tahoe Bike Path
"Last section of the trip. The ride out of South Lake Tahoe to cross the last bit of the Sierra mountains is an ass kicker. If you're wanting to get gnarly…