In a short time it carried mails. The stage travelled what was called the Deadwood trail entering the county at a point a little southeast of the present town of Marsland. thence over the divide and down Breakneck hill to White Clay creek crossing White river at the old Red Cloud agency about midway between Fort Robinson and Crawford. The schedule time from Sidney to Red Cloud, a distance of 120 miles, was 24 hours. The coming and going of the dusty old stage coach was the daily event of importance at every stage station.

A tri-weekly mail route was established between Fort Robinson and the Bijou hills on the Missouri river in 1877. but was discontinued after the return of Red Cloud Indians to the

HISTORY OF WESTERN NEBRASKA

Pine Ridge in 1878. Then a daily mail was established between Fort Robinson and the Pine Ridge which was continued until the summer of 1855.

The service was by buckboard or on horseback, depending upon the season of the year and the condition of the roads. In winter and in spring as it so transpired not more than one mail a week was delivered and month after month the contractor was obliged to report his story to Uncle Sam by affidavit of himself and the carrier or other witnesses conversant with the facts of no bridges, no forage, and no travel to help break the trail. This was in order to escape fines for failure to deliver mails as stipulated in the contract.