News From: NPEA Missouri Division
St. Joseph has always laid claim to being the place where the Pony Express started and Jesse James ended. Monday marked the 157th and 135th anniversaries of those events, respectively.
Both legendary events took place on April 3 but 22 years apart. Johnny Fry took off from the Patee House in 1860, and the infamous outlaw was shot in his home in 1882.
“This is one of the most significant things that happened in St. Joseph,” said Gary Chilcote, director of the Patee House Museum. “It’s hard for people to believe that today.”