Egan Canyon Station Nevada
Egan Canyon Station Nevada Overview
Egan Canyon Station was a stop on the Pony Express located in White Pine County, Nevada.
Learn more about the Pony Express: The Route, The Riders, The Ruins Left Behind.
Year Established/Founded
Spring 1860
Egan Canyon Station Nevada History
The various land features and the town were named after Major Howard E. Egan.
Historic Resource Study Pony Express National Historic Trail
Sources generally agree on the identity of this station site, known as Egan Canyon or Egan’s Station, which also appeared on the 1861 mail contract.
Sometime later, workers rebuilt the station, which served as an Overland Mail Company stop until 1869. In 1979, the station’s stone foundations existed in a dense tangle of rabbit brush.
Timeline
- Spring of 1860 – Major Howard E. Egan and others established the station in Egan Canyon
- July 15 or 16, 1860 – Approximately eighty Indians arrived at the station, took station keeper Mike Holten and a Pony Express rider named Wilson as prisoners, and helped themselves to station food supplies. Rider William Dennis, en route from Ruby Valley Station to Egan Station, saw the Indians and slipped away before they discovered him. He found Lieutenant Weed and sixty soldiers, whom he had passed shortly before reaching Egan, and returned with them to the station. The soldiers killed about seventeen or eighteen Indians and freed the two captives.
- October 1860 – Indians returned to the station, killed the men there, and burned the buildings, according to Burton, “in revenge for the death of seventeen of their men by Lieutenant Weed’s party.”
- October 5, 1860 – When Richard Burton arrived he found part of the chimney, a few pieces of burned wood, and evidence of partially buried bodies
- October 26, 1861 – The operations cease after the first transcontinental telegraph was established on October 24, 1861
Elevation
6,349′
Location
GPS Coordinates
39° 51′ 38.76″ N, 114° 56′ 10.10″ W
Click here to view our recommended mobile apps for the outdoor explorer and what to take on your next road trip.
Speaking of mobile apps, two of my favorite mobile apps for exploring the southwest are two different mapping apps one that builds your schedule and the other helps me look to see if my rural destination is taking me to private or public lands. Highly recommend both!
- Roadtrippers Plus is $29.99 per year paid version that allows you to build longer itineraries, share your plans with friends, and use the app without ads. Click here to save $5 on your subscription to Roadtrippers.
- onX – click here to learn more about onX GPS Map App for Backcountry, Offroad, and Hunting.
Photos and Videos
None at this time.
References Used
Click here to view our list of History of the Southwest – Books and Online Resources to learn more about our amazing area!
- Godfrey, Ph.D., Anthony, (August 1994), Historic Resource Study Pony Express National Historic Trail
- USGS – Egan Nevada