Indian Springs and Death Canyon
It was a warm morning around 9:45 when I arrived at the turn off for the Pony Express trail in Tooele County, UT. Here I would meet up with fellow travelers and embark on a trip into the past. This trip was put on by Kurt at Cruiser Outfitters as part of his customer appreciation runs. As the rest of the group rolled in to meet me, I couldn’t help but remember the last time I ventured out onto the PET. That time it was a cold, wet day, and I was going solo. It was a vast difference to be heading out when it was warm, and with a small group of very well equipped rigs. We said our hello’s and started out for our first stop, the lookout pass station and the pet cemetery.
From 1866 to 1900, Aunt Libby Rockwell and
her husband, Horace, ran an Overland Stage Station near the summit of
Lookout Pass. Since Aunt Libby had no children, she filled the void with pet
dogs and cats. As her cherished pets died over the years, she located this
site as their final resting place alongside three human graves, which
consist of two adults and one child. Horace Rockwell was a brother to the
famous Porter Rockwell.
http://www.co.tooele.ut.us/
Lookout pass was approaching village status at the time we stopped there; apparently people were taking full advantage of the first good weather and getting out of town into the desert. We snapped some photo’s and headed the wagons west toward Simpson Springs.
At Simpson Springs we rolled into the parking area, and were met by a Boy Scout troop working on their orienteering skills. With the majority of our group experts in that field we chose not to participate in their class, but instead went about reading the signage, and learning a little about the PET.
The first east-bound Pony Express courier
halted here about 5 p.m. April 7, 1860 and westbound about 2 a.m. April 10,
1860. The last riders passed October 1861. The coming of the Overland
Telegraph made it inadvisable to continue this station. The building at the
site was rebuilt by the Tooele F.F.A. Chapter in 1976 as a sesquicentennial
project.
http://www.co.tooele.ut.us/
Once our thirst for all things mail related was quenched, we took a quick left off the PET and headed toward Indian Springs.
We turned up the canyon on our way to Indian Springs, a ghost town/ mining camp high in the Simpson Mountains. The trail made its way higher and higher, eventually we started seeing water on the trail, and at times we were fording through about 12-18” of water. The farther we got, the wetter the surrounding area became, once we arrived at the lower part of Indian Springs, we were in a soupy bog. At one point, Wyatt got out of his ‘cruiser watch all 4 tires spinning and his rig going nowhere. With some momentum, we all proceeded up the trail to Indian Springs. There Kurt read us an excerpt from “Some Dreams Die” about Indian Springs, and we gave the remnants a good looking over. We explored concrete foundations, and a partially intact cabin, where we found some purple glass, and some other relics. We left them near the cabin for others to find, and loaded up for our next stop in Death Canyon.
We made our way back down the mucky trail, and back onto the dusty desert roads. Some high speed fun ensued and we were at the mouth of death canyon. What a name! “Death canyon,” rich with stories of Porter Rockwell hunting down bad guys, a place like death canyon is worth a visit if only to say you’ve been there. In reality it is a very pleasant canyon, green and cool, almost an oasis in the desert. It was here that we settled in for lunch, and a little exploring of the mine workings in the canyon. After lunch we went on up a ways, and Wyatt happened to slide off the trail, and put a tire or two in the air. With some fancy spotting and great driving he was back on the trail and turned around. We headed out of the canyon for a quick trip across Erickson Pass, before saying our goodbyes at the trail head. It was a great trip, with some great people. I didn’t take many photos, but pics from the others are found at:
http://www.expeditionutah.com/