Pony Express Rides Again (And Again)...6 by Christopher Corbett*
Pon y Express Rides Again
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Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Express SPECIAL EDITION ON THE PONY EXPRESS S E V I H C R A O G R A F S L L E W
Introduction and Locator Map...4
The Pony Express Rides Again (and Again)...6 By Christopher Corbett*
Re-Riders of the Purple Sage...11
Map of Express Route and Highlights...14
National Pony Express State Coordinators...21
*Chris Corbett, a former news editor and reporter, is author recently of Orphans Preferred: The Twisted Truth and Lasting Legend of the Pony Express (Broadway Books 2003) and The Poker Bride: The First Chinese in the Wild West (Atlantic Monthly 2010).
Special section produced by American Heritag e. For additional copies contact John Dawson at American Heritage Publishing, 416 Hungerford Drive, Suite 216, Rockville, MD 20850-4127. For subscriptions to American Heritag e, call 800-777-1222. © American Heritage Publishing, 2010. www.americanheritage.com
2 AMERICAN HERITAGE OLD SAC MENT ONATI ONAL HI STORIC DI STRICT is a tribute to the city’s historic Gold Rush past. Recreated and restored buildings and streets feature living history characters, shops, restaurants and historic a ractions. New underground tours start this summer. www.oldsacramento.com
CALIF ORNIA STATE ILR OAD MUSEUM is North America’s most popular railroad museum. Step aboard restored locomotives and cars, play with toy trains, and see exhibits showcasing how railroads shaped California and the West, uniting a nation. Enjoy the thrill of a steam train ride on weekends from April-September. www.csrmf.org
FO LSO M a perfect weekend getaway rich with California Gold Rush history and incredible recreation, is conveniently located midway between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe. e celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Folsom Pro Rodeo and Annual Ca le Drive will feature the Pony Express in fun family activities! Promotional packages available. www.visitfolsom.com
HI STORY LIVE S IN SAC MENT O and its surrounding communities. Just follow the Pony Express trail to California’s capital…then discover gold in everything from renowned museums to historical a ractions to the wineries of the Gold Country.
Make plans today to visit Sacramento. Enjoy extra savings and special treatment with the FREE SAC MENT O GOLD CARD . Simply ask for one when you check in at a Pony Express statue in Old Sacramento ppaarrttiicicippaattiinngg hhototeel.l. On Monday, June 7, Anniversary riders depart Old Sacramento
discovergold.org Celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Pony Express
THE NATIONAL PONY Because much EXPRESS Association of the trail crosses (NPEA), which annually remote country, organizes a re-ride for the amateur radio op - entire 1,966-mile route, erators have volun - has big plans for the teered to help 150th anniversary this riders and their summer. The re-ride usu - captains communi - ally crosses the country as cate. A GPS device, the original riders did, carried by the rid - finishing the route in 10 ers in one of the days of hard riding day cantinas on the and night. This year the mochila, will trans - re-ride will only run dur - mit the mail’s loca - ing daylight hours and tion at all times and take three weeks, from enable anyone to June 6 to 26, so that com - follow the mail in munities along the trail real time on the can join in the celebration. will trace the old route from Sacramento NPEA web site (www.xphomestion.com). Riders, who are all volunteers, will up and over the Sierra Nevada Moun - If you’re unable to enjoy the festivi - carry special commemorative letters in tains and then through Nevada and ties in June, you can make stops along the their mochila, or mail bag, with cachets Utah, some of the driest and most deso - National Park Service’s federally-desig - to show they were carried by the Pony late lands in North America. Before nated Historic Trail any time, visiting any Express with a special U.S. Postal Serv - reaching the terminus at St. Joseph, Mis - one of the hundreds of museums, monu - ice cancellation. The mail will first be souri, the mail will cross Wyoming, Ne - ments, and markers, many of which are carried by rivercraft from San Francisco braska, a corner of Colorado, Kansas, indicated on the map on the proceeding to Sacramento for the start. Then riders and Missouri. pages. Happy Trails .
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16 AMERICAN HERITAGE
18 AMERICAN HERITAGE Travel America’s Loneliest Road to ride a Ghost Train.
PonyExpressNevada.com 1.888.359.9449
Ely Fernley Austin Discover life along the trail. Dayton Fallon Eureka Relive the Pony Express Trail In historic Tooele County, Utah
3HUKDSVWKHPRVWFRPSOHWHDQG ORQJHVWUHPDLQLQJYHVWLJHRIWKH T IDPRXV3RQ\([SUHVV7UDLOLV ooele County IRXQGPLQXWHVZHVWRI6DOW /DNH&LW\LQ7RRHOH&RXQW\8WDK 2YHUPLOHVRIWKHIDPRXV WUDLOUXQVWKHHQWLUHOHQJWKRIWKH U FRXQW\,WLVHDVLO\DFFHVVLEOHE\ TAH YHKLFOHRURQIRRW³ZKLFKPDNHV Pony Express Station at Simpson Springs LWWKHLGHDOVSRWWRH[SHULHQFH WKHWUDLO·VVHVTXLFHQWHQQLDOFHOHEUDWLRQLQ-XQH VLJQLÀFDQWQDWLRQDOHYHQWWKDWFHOHEUDWHVWKHWUDLO·V 2Q-XQHLQ6DFUDPHQWR&$UHHQDFWPHQWULGHUV EULHIH[LVWHQFHIURPWR$OWKRXJKWKH RQKRUVHEDFNDUHVFKHGXOHGWREHJLQWKHPLOH 3RQ\([SUHVVODVWHGRQO\PRQWKVLWFRQQHFWHGD MRXUQH\WRZDUG6W-RVHSK022Q-XQHWKH\·OO FRQWLQHQW·VWZRFRDVWVE\PDLO³DQGOHIWDQLQGHOLEOH SDVVWKURXJKWKHKHDUWRI7RRHOH&RXQW\RQWKHDFWXDO OHJDF\RIJULWW\GDULQJGRDQGSURJUHVVWKDWVWLOO 3RQ\([SUHVV7UDLO%HFRPHSDUWRIWKLVKLVWRULFDQG FDSWXUHVWKHLPDJLQDWLRQWRGD\ 6HHZZZ([SORUH7RRHOHFRP RUFDOO On the Pony Express Trail in Tooele County 20 AMERICAN HERITAGE Reader Service Listing Free Information From Advertisers
American Heritage makes choosing 3. Kansas Travel & Tourism: Natural beauty, 7. Sacramento, California: Discover gold travel destinations, products, services, unique destinations, and a proud pioneer at historic and unique Gold Rush-era at - and great reading easier with FREE heritage await visitors to Kansas. Order tractions located throughout the Sacra - INFORMATION from advertisers your FREE Kansas Visitors Guide today! mento region. Stay overnight and enjoy who value your business. Please complete 800-2KANSAS, ext. AH, www.TravelKS.com VIP treatment. www.DiscoverGold.org and mail the postage-paid card today! 4. Travel Nevada: Take the Highway 8: St. Joseph Visitors Bureau: St. Joseph 50 Survival Challenge. Get your FREE Missouri: Experience 13 museums, 12 Pony Express 150th Highway 50 Survival Guide and travel annual festivals, period architecture, Anniversary Guide “The Loneliest Road in America.” and the Pony Express Sesquicentennial in www.TravelNevada.com/heritage 2010. Call for FREE guide! 800-604-4600, 1. All Advertisers in Pony Express Guide: www.StJoMo.com/ponyexpress150.aspx For more information from all advertisers 5. Nevada Pony Express Territory: Experi - in the Pony Express Guide, or select indi - ence the other side of Nevada on the 9: Tooele County, Utah: Tooele County has vidually from the list below. Loneliest Road in America: Highway 50, been a site for rich Western history and is a 2. Independence, MO Tourism Department: paralleling the original Pony Express route. treasure of heritage tourism. 800-378-0690, 888-359-9449, www.PonyExpressNevada.com www.ExploreTooele.com 20 attractions including the Harry S. Tru - 6. Pony Express Museum: man Library & Home, Victorian mansions, Experience If your reader service card is missing, please and National Frontier Trails Museum. the exciting, historic, educational, state- send your request to American Heritage Reader Great shopping, restaurants, and lodging; of-the-art exhibits of the Pony Express Service, 416 Hungerford Drive, Suite 216, minutes from Kansas City. 800-810-4700, in St. Joseph, MO. 800-530-5930, Rockville, MD 20850-4127 www.VisitIndependence.com/AH www.PonyExpress.org
State Division Presidents
Rich Tatman Lyle Gronewold National Officers: 3112 Federalist Lane 41168 Road 770 David Sanner, President Rancho Cordova, Gothenburg, 601 S. Western Ave CALIFORNIA 95827 NEBRASKA 69138 Blue Rapids, (916) 362-1902 (308) 537-3208 (Home) KANSAS 66411 David Belke Larry McPherson (785) 363-7513 18970 CR 4 2001 Apache Dr. Les Bennington, First VP Julesburg, Stagecoach, Box 757 COLORADO 80737 NEVADA 89429 Glenrock, (970) 854-2362 (Home) (775) 629-0087 WYOMING 82637 email: sundownmc@ (307) 436-9569 (Home) Lyle Ladner earthlink.net 2496 Navajo Road (307) 436-2233 (Work) Frankford, National Mailing Address: 150th Anniversary KANSAS 66427 National Pony Express Celebration of the (785) 353-2432 (Home) Association Pony Express Committee (758) 363-7767 (Work) P.O. Box 236 Ken Martin, Chairman Gary Chilcote Pollock Pines, (785)744-3333 or P.O. Box 1022 CALIFORNIA 95726 [email protected] St. Joseph, MISSOURI 64502 (816) 232-8206 (Work) 22 AMERICAN HERITAGE The heritage of the Pony Express lives on in Kansas.
PPaartrt of the PonyPony Express rroouteute loosely followsfollows what is nownow HighwayHighway 36. AtAt MaMarysville,rysville, KansaKansas,s, visitorsvisitors can tour the orioriginalginal stable building and museum.
PonyPony Express ridersriders carried mail in relayrelay nearlynearly ExperienExperiencece life in the 1860s at 2,000 miles from Missouri the Hollenberg StStateate HisHistorictoric through Kansas and on to SitSite,e, just east of HanHanover.over. TThehe California. Celebrate the familyfamily home serservedved as a wwayay 150th anniversary of this station, post oo cece,, ststoreore and beloved icon at one of tatavernvern for ttravelersravelers on the PoPonyny Kansas’ historic locations. ExpresExpress,s, Oregon and CaCalifornialifornia Learn more at TravelKS.com TrTrails,ails, and is one of the only unalteunalteredred PoPonyny Express stations in the cocountry.untry.
Request a FREE Kansas Visitors Guide at TravelKS.com or at 800-2KANSAS, ext. AH.
Experience life on the trails at the National Frontier Trails Museum in historic Independence. The hometown of President Harry Truman offers 20 heritage sites including the Truman Library and Home, Victorian mansions, and nationally known religious sites. There’s also great golf, walking trails, shopping and dining on the historic square, a family water park and the new Midwest Genealogy Center. AN AMERICAN ORIGINAL
FOR A FREE VISITORS GUIDE CALL 1-800-810-4700 OR VISIT WWW.VISITINDEPENDENCE.COM/AH