Sesquicentennial Approaches for Pony Express
St. Joseph to Celebrate 150th Anniversary of First Ride
Oct 21, 2009
The Pony Express Begins
Evidence points to Johnny Fry as the first Pony Express rider to head west from St. Joseph, Missouri, on April 3, 1860. Founded by Alexander Majors, William Russell, and William Waddell, the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Company ran the Pony Express for 18 months. The route was approximately 2,000 miles and took anywhere from 10 to 16 days for riders to travel from St. Joseph to Sacramento, California.
Accounts state that 49 letters, 5 telegrams, and some special edition newspapers were carried on the first westbound run.
The Express’ Days were Numbered Before it began
On June 16, 1860, Congress authorized the building of a transcontinental telegraph line.
“The passage of the bill resulted in the incorporation of the Overland Telegraph Company of California and the Pacific Telegraph Company of Nebraska. On July 4, 1861, Edward Creighton began building Pacific Telegraph’s line westward from Julesburg, Colorado, toward Salt Lake City. Twelve hundred miles to the west on the same day at Fort Churchill in Nevada, James Gamble set the first pole in the Overland Telegraph Company's line,” states the History and Culture Pony Express article at nps.gov/poex. “On October 20, 1861, Creighton won the race to Salt Lake City. Four days later Gamble's crew arrived. On October 26 the wires were joined, and San Francisco was in direct contact with New York City. On that day the Pony Express was officially terminated, but it was not until November that the last letters completed their journey over the route.”
The Pony Express’ Sesquicentennial will be celebrated in 2010
Sesquicentennial Celebration Planned in St. Joseph, Mo.
Celebrations of the Pony Express’ 150th anniversary will be celebrated in St. Joseph, Mo., on April 1, 2, and 3 in 2010. Many of the activities will take place at the Pony Express National Museum, 914 Penn St. This is the original location of the stables used by riders and where Johnny Fry left for his historic ride on April 3, 1960.
“No event in American history has captured the imagination of young and old alike, more than the excitement created by those young riders and their horses, as they rode across the western half of our continent. We hope to capture some of that excitement when we celebrate that first ride during our sesquicentennial celebration in 2010,” says Dick DeShon, Board President of the Pony Express Museum.
“The sound of the cannon, the cry of the first rider and the galloping house as they speed into the sunset urged on by cheering crowds…the entire family will not want to miss where it all began, in St. Joseph, Mo,” said Jim Conlon, co-chairman of the Pony Express Sesquicentennial Committee.
For more information about the museum or celebration, visit www.ponyexpress.org or call the museum at 1-800-530-5930.
