Submitted by scott on Mon, 06/17/2013 - 10:19

It is located 15 miles from Elk Horn Station and 10 miles from Bed Tick Station. Also, a creek and town in Converse County, Wyoming, named for La Bonte (Labonte, LaBonte), an early French trapper. He was a trapper with “Uncle Dick” Woolston’s party in 1838 was killed in Utah. The Indians after killing this noted character, cut flesh from the bones and ate it. La Bonte belonged in Wyoming and had lived for a number of years on the North Platte in what is now Converse County. La Bonte Creek, which flows into the North Platte and La Bonte Station on the old Overland Trail were named after this old trapper. (N42 36 19.0 W105 22 47.0)  http://www.expeditionutah.com/featured-trails/pony-express-trail/wyoming-pony-express-stations/

The next station after Elk Horn was probably La Bonte Station, which several sources agree was a Pony Express station.  In August 1860, for an unknown reason, the route apparently changed to include La Bonte as a station. Little existed at the site before that, except for a stock corral.  Stagecoaches also stopped at La Bonte but used a separate site from the Pony Express station.  The station's exact location has not been identified yet. 

http://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/poex/hrs/hrs6a.htm#61

Linked Chapters

Marker Category
Pony Express
Geolocation

42.605472564697, -105.37961578369

Geofield
Roughing It

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