Sources generally agree about the identity of this site as a relay station, but they do not concur about its exact location. In 1859, David McCandles or McCanles erected a toll bridge and log structure, which later served as the relay station, on the east side of the creek. The hewn-log building had an outside-accessible attic and stone fireplace and measured 36 feet long, 16 feet wide, and 8 feet high at the eaves.The Rock Creek Station has an interesting history. Historians associate the site with a controversial gunfight between David McCanles and James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok on July 12, 1861. When the fight ended, three men were dead, and Hickok and Horace Wellman (Williams), the stationkeeper, faced murder charges. A judge later acquitted both men.
Alternative names and/or sites for the station include Turkey Creek, Pawnee, and possibly Elkhorn and the Lodi Post Office. Stagecoaches, such as the Leavenworth & Pike's Peak Express Company, stopped at or near the station. Rock Creek was listed as a scheduled stop for the company. (NPS)

Note: The location mapped is the Rock Creek Station State Historical Park.