Last updated: May 13, 2024
Place
Murray City Park & Traders Rest Station
NPS Photo
Quick Facts
Location:
Park entrance on State Street, Murray, Utah.
Significance:
Pony Express trail passed through this park. Traders Rest Station is located three miles south on State Street.
MANAGED BY:
Amenities
2 listed
Parking - Auto, Picnic Shelter/Pavilion
After it stopped at the Salt Lake House, the Pony Express traversed through Murray City Park on its way to the first station south of Salt Lake City, Traders Rest/Traveler's Rest. Entering the park from State Street, the trail traveled near the Chief Wasatch statue. Travel less than 3 miles south on State Street to the location of the Traders Rest station and imagine how things have changed since 1861.
Pony Express Utah No. 10 Contract Station (Trader’s Rest / Traveler’s Rest)
The station once stood on State Street in an area referred to as Lovendahl's Corner. The 1861 mail contract identified Trader's Rest Station, where Absalom Smith managed station operations. After the Pony Express era, someone added wood siding and a false front to the adobe building to convert it into a business establishment. The building was also used as a garage prior to its destruction sometime before 1979.
Site Information
Location (Park entrance on State Street, Murray, Utah; the trail went through the park at this entrance, near the Chief Wasatch statue.)
Station Location (7200 South State Street, Midvale, Utah; A stone monument now stands in the parking lot.)