Old Boulder Mail Trail

Boulder was one of the last towns in America to get its mail by mule. Hemmed in by slickrock canyons, the little settlement was reachable from Escalante only by a brutal foot trail — used by Native people for centuries — that climbed the bare white rock and dropped into the chasm called Death Hollow. In 1902 the Post Office paid James Schow two hundred dollars a year to carry the mail across it twice a week by pack string. Riders and mules made that perilous crossing for decades, until a road finally reached Boulder.

What the plaque says

The isolated trails between Boulder and Escalante, Utah, were important in the history of the two towns. The foot trail, used by Indians for centuries, connected the two areas and was known as the Death Hollow Trail. Mules, horses, or people traversed this steep and dangerous area. In 1902 a contract at $200 per year by the U.S. Postal Service was given to James Schow for the twice-weekly mail delivery over the shorter Indian trail. He used two to ten mules to carry mail, medicine, and occasional travelers. This Old Boulder Mail Trail left Escalante, crossed the creek, and climbed the hill on the white rocks seen just above the dark ridge. In some places steps were cut into the rocks. At the top of the hill, going was easier across the Antone Flat, then became more perilous at the famous descent into Death Hollow. The trail crossed Mamie Creek and Sand Creek, then arrived at New Home Bench where mail for Salt Gulch was left in a wooden box nailed to a tree. In 1910 the U.S. Forest Service ran a telephone line along the trail to Boulder, attaching the wires to rocks and trees. Some of the glass insulators can still be seen in the treetops. In 1924 Parcel Post became available, and the mules carried in sewing machines, boots, pots, pans, machine parts, and cans of cream which were sent on to the creamery. In the early 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps built better roads, and when the Hell's Backbone Bridge was completed, this mail trail was unnecessary. The trail was still a shortcut and was often used by young men hurrying to a dance in either town. This monument is a tribute to those who endured the trail.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Escalante Interagency Visitor Center — 1.1 mi
  Your essential stop before heading into the backcountry
• Escalante — 1.1 mi
  The town that gave Grand Staircase-Escalante its name
• Escalante Petrified Forest State Park — 1.4 mi
  Walk among 150-million-year-old stone trees
• Lower Calf Creek Falls — 9.0 mi
  A 126-foot waterfall hidden in a desert canyon

More markers nearby

• Old White Church — 1.0 mi
• L.D.S. Tithing Office — 1.1 mi
• First Public Building — 1.1 mi
• Escalante-Boulder Veterans Memorial — 1.1 mi