Bates' station is mentioned in the 1861 mail contract, and sources generally agree on the identity of this station as either Bates' or Butte Station, which they locate between Egan and Mountain Springs. The station began in 1859 as part of George Chorpenning's mail route and continued to serve the Pony Express. In the spring of 1860, Indians burned Butte Station. When Richard Burton visited the site on October 5, 1860, an English Mormon named Thomas managed the rebuilt station. At that time, Burton described life at this station in great detail during his travel account. Burton described a 15 x 30 feet, two-room structure, built of sandstone, wood, and mud. Parts of the fireplace, a wall, and other stone foundations still mark the site of Butte Station as late as 1979.
There is still what is either the remains of a rock wall or a large rock fireplace standing. But there isn’t any signs or markers or anything and it’s pretty hard to see if you aren’t really looking for it (I had driven past it half a dozen times over a period of years before finally noticing it). There are also some very old building remains at the mouth of the canyon (coming from the East), which are even harder to see, even if you know exactly where to look, and another site a few miles away further up the mountain, but I’m pretty sure the station site is the one with the stone remains noted above.