"I Was Put in Charge of the Road"
With the establishment of Mormon Settlements
in Utah Territory and the gold rush in California,
there was a great need for communication
between east and west. Employed by the
Overland Stage Company, James E. Bromley,
Echo's first settler, arrived here in July 1854.
He was in charge of the Weber Stage Station
until 1856, driving the mail coach and six mules,
carryng passengers and the monthly mail.
The first Pony Express rider reached Bromley's
Weber Station on April 7, 1860. Bromley was the
superintendent in charge of the Salt Lake
Division. The ponies ran for 18 months until
October 24, 1861, when the completion of the
transcontinental telegraph made their services
unnecessary.
In 1865, Bromley went into business for himself,
established a general store, built Echo's first
hotel, and in later years, became a rancher.
Bromley died on March 11, 1897, and is buried
in the city cemetery to your left at the base of
the hill.
[picture captions]
The road from Fort Bridger to Salt lake City was used by various
overland stage lines carrying mail and passengers for 20 years,
from 1849 to 1869.
This 1868 view of the mouth of Echo Canyon shows Bromley's
general store and the old Pony Express station behind and to
the left of the local residents.
"I was put in charge of the
road. I brought mules, built
stations, fought Indians,
and did everything that
came in the line of my duty."
--James E. Bromley
