Midway Station and The Pony Express Museum -- by Donna Schlachter

Midway Station -- currently

I started talking about Midway Station in February 2024 (click here if you missed that post). And while the book doesn’t release until August 31, 2024, the pre-order is up to order the ebook version here

During the process of writing the book, I came across some interesting facts about Midway Station. One is that Midway Station is actually on private property.

Second, it was a home station, which changed my story a little, and is contrary to what I posted in February. But that’s the joy of research – sometimes, looking deeper reveals new information and new stories. Now I had to account for riders coming through, riding east or west. Which meant I needed somewhere for them to sleep. And a corral for horses. Land to grow feed on. Papa Wes became a landowner, farmer, and rancher.

And third, the station is less than two miles from Gothenburg. Which means a short ride to town for supplies, the law, or a doctor. All of which get worked into the story.

I also learned that the next home station is at Fremont Springs, which is three miles west of Hershey. And in total, there are only about fifty-seven miles between Midway and Fremont. That means a short day’s ride from one to the other, leaving plenty of time for characters to get into trouble.

Gothenburg Station (NPS)

 

Another fact of note: there never was a Pony Express station in Gothenburg, yet it is home to one of the most popular stations along the trail. In fact, another building was moved from a way station to save the structure from demolition. After a number of years, somebody formed the Gothenburg Pony Express Station.

While not much bigger than a small cabin, the museum is bulging with artifacts, stories, and almost-long memories. It receives about 40,000 visitors per year, every year, as it promotes the Pony Express and shares history with folks along the way. You can check out the museum here

About Hearts of Midway:

Cecilia Hammond works for her aged grandparents, but longs to become a lawman—a law woman—like her sheriff father. She prefers riding a horse to sitting in a parlor, and she despises petticoats and such frippery, preferring dungarees.

Denver Jenkins rides into town, looking for a job and hiding a secret. He hires on with the Pony Express, and is assigned to train with a young man named Cec. Denver has good reasons to change his name. One that could get him killed if the wrong people found out. Hoping that riding with the Express will disguise his real reason for being in the Gothenburg area—cattle rustling—he’s also interested in the pretty gal he spots at the Midway Home Station—Cecilia. She’d be a good addition to his new persona. Then he spots her twin brother Cec elsewhere—in town, and, of course, on the Pony Express Trail. Could he use his friendship with her brother to gain her trust?

Cecilia and Denver strive to keep their individual secrets. Will they lower their defenses and enlist the help of the other? Or will they struggle on alone?

About Donna:

A hybrid author, Donna writes squeaky clean historical and contemporary suspense. She has been published more than 60 times in books; is a member of several writers groups; facilitates a critique group; teaches writing classes; and judges in writing contests. She loves history and research, traveling extensively for both, and is an avid oil painter. She is taking all the information she’s learned along the way about the writing and publishing process, and is coaching committed career writers. Learn more at https://www.donnaschlachter.com/the-purpose-full-writer-coaching-programs Check out her coaching group on FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/604220861766651



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Resources:

Fremont Springs  https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/poex/hrs/hrs5a.htm#36  

 

https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/nebraska-pony-express-stations.htm 

The History of Midway Station By Donna Schlachter—with Giveaway

Midway Station pre-1959

If you look on a map of Nebraska, you won’t find Midway Station. That’s because it is not, and has never been, a hamlet, village, town, or city. Midway Station was one of the stops along the Pony Express route, which ran—and still exists in many areas—from St. Joseph, Missouri to San Francisco, California.

However, if you’ve ever passed near or through Gothenburg, Nebraska, you might well have seen the cabin called Midway Station. It is one of the few original stations that remains at its original location. Much more famous, perhaps, is the Sam Machette station in the city of Gothenburg, which was moved in 1931 and turned into a museum in the mid 1950s which attracts more than thirty thousand visitors each year.

Midway Station with Pony Express plaque

Midway Station was built in 1859 just south of modern-day Gothenburg and expanded in 1860 to its current size when it was contracted by the Pony Express. Originally it was used by the Leavenworth City and Pikes Peak Express Company, then adopted as a stop where riders could get a fresh horse, use the privy, and perhaps get a crust of bread or a quick meal to keep them going to the next home station.

Midway was used by wagon trains along the Oregon Trail to water or rest their animals and emigrants, and sometimes the trains would send hunters to replenish fresh meat supplies. Large and small game was plentiful, as were wild berries in season and plenty of prairie grasses to feed their horses, cattle, and oxen.

By the late 1870s, when wagon trains were replaced in large part by trains, the station wasn’t used as much. In 1879, Henry Williams bought the building and turned it into a bunkhouse or cabin on his Lower 96 Ranch.

The Midway Station has gone by several names over the years, including Cold Water Ranch, Heavy Timber, Smith’s East Ranch, and Pat Mullaly’s Home Station. It is a long, low, one-story cabin, constructed of heavy, squared, hand-hewn cedar logs. When the Pony Express contracted to rent the location for its riders, two additional sections were added to the east. Originally, the log walls sat on a bare earth floor, but a concrete foundation was added later. Wall spaces were originally packed with mud, and the low pitched, split cedar roof was supported by cedar log ridge beams, and then covered with a heavy layer of sod, on which the split cedar shingles now rest.

Many stations used by wagon trains and express services in Nebraska were destroyed during Indian raids, and many more fell into ruins once the railroad was completed. Rumors abound that Midway Station was one that was burned, however, it seems a larger frame house built nearby was destroyed, with minor damage to the station.

In recent years, the family that owns the station has created a museum-like experience including furnishings and artifacts. If you’d like to visit, contact the Gothenburg Pony Express Museum at 308-537-9876.



Leave a comment to enter a random drawing for an ebook copy of Hearts of Hollenberg, the first in my Hearts of the Pony Express series. And stay tuned for Book 4 in the series, Hearts of Midway, which releases in August.

About Donna:
A hybrid author, Donna writes squeaky clean historical and contemporary suspense. She has been published more than 60 times in books; is a member of several writers groups; facilitates a critique group; teaches writing classes; and judges in writing contests. She loves history and research, traveling extensively for both, and is an avid oil painter. She is taking all the information she’s learned along the way about the writing and publishing process, and is coaching committed career writers. Learn more at https://www.donnaschlachter.com/the-purpose-full-writer-coaching-programs Check out her coaching group on FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/604220861766651


Connecting Online:
www.DonnaSchlachter.com Stay connected so you learn about new releases, preorders, and presales, as well as check out featured authors, book reviews, and a little corner of peace. Plus: Receive 2 free ebooks simply for signing up for our free newsletter!

www.DonnaSchlachter.com/blog

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/DonnaschlachterAuthor

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/donna-schlachter























Resources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gothenburg,_Nebraska

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midway_Stage_Station

https://www.ponyexpressstation.org/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX1x3KUuGP4 Video tour

https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/poex/hrs/hrs5a.htm

https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/81ae5996-bb27-4bbe-8229-d5c66bfb8748