Snow capped peaks of the Deep Creek Mountains with 12,020 foot Haystack Mountain in the middle

BOYD STATION to WILLOW SPRINGS

To give you an idea of what a day in the life at Willow Springs could consist of back in the days of the Pony Express, consider this excerpt from Nicholas Wilson’s book “White Indian Boy”. “About 4 o’clock in the afternoon, seven Indians rode up to the station and asked for something to eat. Peter Neece, the station keeper, picked up a sack with about 20 pounds of flour in it and offered it to them, but they would not have that little bit, they wanted a sack of flour a piece. Then he threw it back into the house and told them to get out and that he wouldn’t give them a thing. This made them pretty mad, and as they passed a shed about 4 or 5 rods from the house, they each shot an arrow into a poor lame cow that happened to be standing there under the shed. When Neece saw them do that, it made him mad too and he jerked out a couple of pistols and commenced shooting at them. He killed two of the Indians and they fell off their horses right there. The others ran. He said, “Now, boys, we will have a time of it tonight. There are about 30 of those Indians camped up in the canyon there, and they will be upon us as soon as it gets dark, and we shall have to fight”.

The story continues to tell of a really scary night of fighting with the Indians and it is a really good read. Nick Wilson talks about how they set an ambush for the Indians and how he was too scared to even fire a shot and hid on his belly, face down in an alkali depression. When you visit Willow Springs, think about this and other battles and skirmishes that took place in the vicinity. These Express riders had to have incredible courage and stamina. Reading books written by the riders, occurrences such as these happened almost daily. Sir Richard Burton wrote of an attack at the station “In June of 1860 the Willow Creek Station was attacked by a small band of Gosh Yuta, of whom 3 were shot and summarily scalped, an energetic proceeding which had prevented repetition of the affair.” It seems that the Indians got the worst of it most of the time out in the desert but as you will see in the next article, it was not always the case.

When Captain James H. Simpson visited the area in 1859, he described the first Indian that he and his men encountered in stunning detail “He wears his hair tied up at the temples and behind; carries a buckskin pouch and powder horn, a bow and quiver swung on his right side, wears a pink checkered American shirt, buckskin leggings and moccasins, and a blanket around his loins. An old black, silk handkerchief is tied about his neck. He has one huge, iron spur on his right heel, and rides a sorrel pony. His height is 5 feet 7 ½ inches, has a stout square frame, age probably 35; carries a rifle. His bow is 3 feet long and is made of sheep’s horn, arrow, 25 inches long, feathered and barbed with Iron.” Sounds like a very interesting fellow. Those who are familiar with the history of the Goshute Indians and their customs and way of life back then will recognize that this fellow does not fit the description. He was probably a Western Shoshoni brave as they tended to frequent the area – especially at Deep Creek. One thing is for sure, you wouldn’t want this guy after you or prowling around your station late at night.

George Boyd sold Willow Creek Station to Charley Baggley in 1885 and moved to Salt Lake City. E.W. Tripp came to the Callao area in 1867 and helped George Boyd with the contract to supply the stations with wood and hay.

If you visit the area today you will see very large, even ancient cottonwood trees with small log cabins at their bases at various locations. The ground is lush, fed by many springs in the area and the grasses are in many areas knee high. It is rural life to the extreme out here on the very border of Juab and Tooele County. There is a conical Pony Express Marker at the entrance to the Baggley ranch which is the location of the Willow Springs station. There are approximately 25 people who call Callao home now and there is a tiny school house in operation there. What does Callao mean? Who knows? But there is a city named Callao in Peru and given the resemblance of the Andes and the Deep Creeks with their adjacent deserts, it is plausible that a sheep herder from Peru named it in honor of his home town.

Other interesting sites abound near Callao including Granite Creek, Indian Farm, and Tom’s Creek Canyons in the Deep Creek Mountains to name a few. The site of the Civilian Conservation Corps camp is now a BLM campground on Tom’s Creek a short distance south of town on the Gandy road. Gold Hill to the North and West is also very interesting and has a colorful history all its own. Regardless of what you decide to visit, a trip to Boyd Station and Callao will not soon be forgotten.