page_title: Overland Trail
section_title: Route
hierarchical_section_title: Overland Trail / Route
caption_attribution_description: English: Pony Express map, by William Henry Jackson; likely from The Pony Express Goes Through (1935)
context_page_description: The Overland Trail was a stagecoach and wagon trail in the American West during the 19th century. While portions of the route had been used by explorers and trappers since the 1820s, the Overland Trail was most heavily used in the 1860s as a route alternative to the Oregon, California, and Mormon trails through central Wyoming. The Overland Trail was famously used by the Overland Stage Company owned by Ben Holladay to run mail and passengers to Salt Lake City, Utah, via stagecoaches in the early 1860s. Starting from Atchison, Kansas, the trail descended into Colorado before looping back up to southern Wyoming and rejoining the Oregon Trail at Fort Bridger. The stage line operated until 1869 when the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad eliminated the need for mail service via Thais' stagecoach.
context_section_description: Starting at the terminus of the railroad in Atchison, the Overland Trail paralleled the other emigrant trails on the Great Platte River Road along the North Platte River in Kansas and Nebraska.  At Julesburg, Colorado, the trail splits from the others and continues  along the South Platte River.  Following the same general path that miners used during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush, the trail follows the South Platte through the present day towns of Sterling, Fort Morgan and to Latham, the last station on the South Platte.  Located near the present day city of Greeley, Latham was an important stage stop and junction joining the Overland Trail and a short spur connecting the trail to Denver and the surrounding mining towns.  From Latham the stage route crosses the South Platte to Laporte and strikes the well established Cherokee Trail going north into Wyoming.  In 1862, the Fort Morgan Cut-Off was established between Fort Morgan and Denver saving three days and 40 miles (64 km) from the previous route and cutting off stations between Fort Morgan and Latham.
  In Wyoming, the trail goes through the Laramie River Valley and skirts the northern side of Elk Mountain.  Fort Halleck was established here in 1862 to protect travelers on the trail.  Following the same path as the later transcontinental railroad and modern Interstate 80, the trail crosses the Red Desert and follows Bitter Creek through the present towns of Rock Springs, Point of Rocks, and Green River.  From Green River the trail proceeds west to Blacks Fork, following it upstream to Granger where it joins the Emigrant Trails descending from South Pass and continues to Fort Bridger.  From Fort Bridger the stage route follows the Mormon Trail the remainder of the way to Salt Lake City.
caption: Map of the 1860 Pony Express Route by William Henry Jackson. The Pony Express helped define the Overland Trail.
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