What started as a gentle flow soon turned into a river of Euro-American emigrants traveling through Lakota lands to Oregon and California country. The great northern plains of South Dakota were the traditional homeland of the Oglala Lakota people. In the mid 1800’s, thousands of settlers traveled west on the California, Mormon, and Oregon trails. Prospecting for gold in the Black Hills led to a flood of encroachment and settlement of traditional Lakota homeland. Oglala Lakota tribal elders tell of their traditional nomadic lifestyle and social structure, how that was challenged and influenced by American westward migration, and how their people and beliefs endure.
Situated at the Kansas-Nebraska border is the Hollenberg Pony Express Station. It is a rare example of a Pony Express station that still stands unaltered in its original location. A new visitor center with interpretive exhibits has been erected near the historic building.
A trip here provides the chance to step back in time by visiting the original station house where Pony Express riders and thousands of emigrants stopped to rest, eat, and purchase supplies along their journey.
The Rock Creek Station was once a popular stage stop for trail travelers and also served as a Pony Express station. Today, the state historical park welcomes visitors to enjoy 350 acres of prairie hilltops, timber-studded creek bottoms, and rugged ravines. The park’s visitor center displays numerous artifacts that piece together more than a century of visitors, from trail travelers to the notorious gunfighter “Wild Bill” Hickock.
Managed by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, outdoornebraska.gov.
Duration:
2 minutes, 17 seconds
Last updated: April 23, 2025
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Contact Info
Mailing Address:
National Trails Regions Office, Regions 6, 7, & 8
Pony Express National Historic Trail
1100 Old Santa Fe Trail
Santa Fe,
NM
87505
