George Chorpenning began his association with western Utah in 1851 when he ran a mail service from Salt Lake City to Sacramento. His original route ran north from Salt Lake through the Goose Creek Mts. and then down the Humboldt River. However, during the winter, he was forced to go south from Salt Lake along the old Spanish Trail to Los Angeles and the transport the mail by boat to Sacramento. Looking to reduce the very prohibitive costs these routes required, he looked to find a shorter all-weather route to California. This route would go from Camp Floyd, near the modern day community of Cedar Valley, over Lookout Pass and across the west desert via Simpson Springs, Dugway Pass, Fish Springs, Sand Pass, and Pleasant Valley and on the Steptoe Valley. Chorpenning would find that cost to move the mail would still exceed what the market would bear, and in 1860, he would lose the government mail contract to a group of upstarts headed by William Russell under the name of the Central Overland California and Pike's Peak Express Company. Most of us today know that business partnership by the shorter name of the Pony Express.
The Pony Express began operation on April 3, 1860 and Fish Springs would be a major way station on the route between Fort Floyd and Ruby Valley. The Pony Express route would deviate from Chorpenning route at Fish Springs. Instead of going south and through Sand Pass, the riders would go north around the tip of the Fish Springs range and west through Callao, up Overland Canyon to Ibapah and then on to the Antelope Valley and across Rock Pass to rejoin Chorpenning route just east of Schell Creek. One can still see the recreated remains of Boyd station some 14 miles west of the Refuge. In Callao, Don and Beth Anderson of the Willow Springs Ranch maintain the station that was there and in Overland Canyon the recreated remains of Canyon station and the location of Burnt station are of interest The proprietors of the Pony Express, just as Chorpenning had ultimately found, would realize that even at the astounding fee of $5 per ounce, they could not make a profit. That fact, along with the completion of the transcontinental telegraph line, would be the death knell for the Pony Express venture.
Most of the assets in the west desert associated with the Pony Express would be acquired by the Butterfield Overland Express Company. The Overland Express would not only get the mail contract but would begin the first scheduled stage service across this arid stretch. Noted travellers who travelled the stage on this route included Horace Greeley an Mark Twain. Greeley would record, after spending on overnight at the Fish Springs station, that "The muskeetoes feasted on our blood" and regarding his travel across Utah's west desert on the stage, Twain would write in Roughing It that "It was an experience calculated to undermine one's religious convictions"! The Overland Express would continue through 1869 when, much like the scenario that befell it's predecessor the Pony Express, the service would be made unprofitable by the completion of the transcontinental railroad. There would be continued stage service from Camp Floyd to Ibapah or Gold Hill for another 50 years but it would never see the popularity that it had during it's heyday.
In the mid 1880s, John Thomas of Lehi would set up operations at Fish Springs to raise cattle and horses for the area mining interests. For Thomas this would provide a marginal existence for the next 25 or so years. In 1913, the nation would see the identification of the first guided transcontinental automobile route, the Lincoln Highway. This pioneer auto route would, surprisingly enough to most modern day travellers, be routed through Fish Springs. Henry Joy, President of the Packard Motor Company and one of the original founders of the Lincoln was the primary pathfinder for the route and upon reaching Salt Lake City was faced with the same dilemma that the early wagon pioneers faced. One either had to go north around the Great Salt Lake or south around the extensive salt flats. The route south around the salt flat was considerably shorter and in keeping the the guiding policy through the history of the Lincoln Highway, choosing the most direct route from New York to San Francisco, the route would go south and through Fish Springs. From Fish Springs, the original route would mirror the Pony Express route until it reached the Antelope Valley. Rock Pass was too rough for cars and the route would continue south through Tippett to the head of Spring Valley and then bend back north to meet up with the Pony Express route just east of Schellbourne Pass.
Original Lincoln Higway portion on Fish Springs
Thomas would find the Lincoln Highway to be a very lucrative prospect. Traffic would begin toincrease through the west desert very quickly after the route was announced and a guide produced. In 1914, Thomas would have well over 400 vehicles stop at his ranch for fuel, food, lodging, or as was often the case, towing service from the terrible mud crossing the Fish Springs flat. By 1916 the traffic would increase to nearly 1700 vehicles. That might be more than pass through today! Thomas was famous for having developed one of the spring to flood the road to increase the frequency of his towing opportunities and kept a team of draft horses harnessed in his barn just for such "emergencies!
The John Thomas Ranch during the Lincoln Highway era.
In 1919, a shortcut would be built from Granite Mountain west and the route would bypass Fish Springs and Callao. This new route would continue west to Gold Hill and then would cut back south to join up with the original route at the head of Overland Canyon. However, this shortcut was not a road to be taken during much of the winter or during wet period and much of the traffic still came through the original route when road conditions were adverse.
Modern day tourists still travel the county's Pony Express Road through Toole and Juab counties looking for an adventure. Most still find it and are many are much reassured when they finally reach the outpost of civilization that is the Refuge Headquarters and Visitor Center. They continue the pioneer spirit of the last 150 years albeit in modern air conditioned automobiles with steel belted tires and often with four-wheel drive!
Original Lincoln Higway tracts just east of Fish Springs
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