Last updated: June 9, 2026
Place
Antelope Spring Station
NPS Photo
Quick Facts
Location:
18 miles west of Utah state line in White Pine County, Nevada. It is on the unpaved Lincoln Highway about 3 miles southwest of unincorporated Tippett, Nevada, and 48 miles northeast of Ely, Nevada. Trails West marker gps 39.8306666667, -114.3892666667.
Significance:
Antelope Springs Station, taken over from George Chorpenning’s “Jackass Mail Operation” by the Pony Express in April 1869, was burned by Paiute and Shoshone raiders 2 months later. The station was rebuilt and served as a relay station until the Pony Express shut down in 1861.
Designation:
Historic Site on the Pony Express NHT.
MANAGED BY:
Private
Amenities
2 listed
Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Scenic View/Photo Spot
George Chorpenning built Antelope Springs Station in 1859 to support his own “Jackass Mail” operation, which used pack mules to carry the post between Utah and California. After the government annulled his contract for political reasons, the Pony Express took over Chorpenning’s route and stations. Remote Antelope Springs Station served the Pony Express as a relay station, where riders exchanged horses. The station also served the Overland Stage & Mail.
In June 1860, during the Pyramid Lake War, Northern Paiute and Goshute Shoshone raiders burned the station. When British adventurer Sir Richard Burton passed through by stagecoach in October, it still had not been rebuilt. “Fortunately,” he noted, “the corral still stood: we found wood in plenty, water was lying in an adjoining bottom, and we used the two to brew our tea.”
Antelope Springs Station was rebuilt after Burton’s visit, and it continued to serve stage line until 1869, when the transcontinental railroad was completed. A T-shaped trail marker alongside the road indicates its approximate location.
To visit, from Ibapah, Utah, drive west on Pony Express Rd/Old Lincoln Hwy/UT-2 and (in Nevada) White Pine County Rd 32/Whiskey Rd for about 28 miles. There, signs at the intersection point right to Antelope Range and Pony Express Trail. Turn and continue 1.6 mile to the roadside trail marker on the left; the spring is to the south, on private land. These roads are remote and unpaved, and a cellular signal might be unavailable.
Site Information
Location (18 miles west of Utah state line in White Pine County, Nevada. It is on the unpaved Lincoln Highway about 3 miles southwest of unincorporated Tippett, Nevada, and 48 miles northeast of Ely, Nevada. Trails West marker gps 39.8306666667, -114.3892666667.)
Pony Express National Historic Trail