The Pony Express rides again.
The National Pony Express Re Ride will come into St. Joseph this year tomorrow night at the Patee House Museum.
Museum Director Gary Chilcote says this is the 40th year for the re ride
“Each year they either start in St. Joseph or Sacramento, and this year they started in Sacramento, next year it will start in St. Joseph,” Chilcote tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.
Riders relay a mochila carrying commemorative letters across eight states, traveling more than 1,900 miles on horseback, just as they did in 1860.
Chilcote says it’s important to keep the history of the Pony Express alive because of how short lived the service was
“It was a temporary thing to permit the mail to be traveled to California within 10 days,” Chilcote explains. “They knew that it was going to be replaced by the telegraph, and also the stagecoach, but we commemorate it each year to keep the story alive of the Pony Express.”
Chilcote says ceremonies will start around 6pm, swearing in riders Penny Orrick and her family