Schellbourne was established as a Pony Express Station, and also served the Overland Stage Line.. Later, around 1871, Schellbourne was developed into a mining town. The townsite grew to five saloons, a Wells Fargo office, two blacksmith shops, three stores, two restaurants, two boarding houses, and two law firms. By 1872, the town reached its peak with a population of around 400. After the rich strikes at Cherry Creek early in the 1880s, across the Steptoe Valley, Schellbourne declined. The very well preserved ghost town lies on a private ranch.