The Pony Express Museum in Saint Joseph, Missouri, documents the history of the Pony Express, the first fast mail service across North America from the Missouri River to the Pacific coast. The museum is a surviving portion of the Pikes Peak Stables, where the Pony Express riders would depart on their westward journey.
The Pike's Peak Stables, also known as the Pony Express Stables, is a one-story, wood-frame structure built in 1858 to house and care for the horses of the local freight and stagecoach company. In 1860 on March 2, St. Joseph, Missouri was chosen as the eastern terminus, and Sacramento would be the western terminus. St. Joseph was the perfect choice since it was connected to the east by railroads and the telegraph. The Pony Express route would travel from Missouri, through Kansas, what is now known as Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California. The riders would leave St. Joseph and Sacramento on April 3 and deliver the mail in ten days.
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Today, the museum is one of the most educational museums in the country as far as the mail service industry goes. While visiting the museum, patrons can engage in The Pony School and be transported back to an 1860s one-room schoolhouse to learn reading, writing, and arithmetic. Video and audio tours of the museum are available to all guests.
On the website, you can read the official historical timeline of the Pony Express company from its rise on April 3, 1860, to its demise on October 26, 1861. The museum was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and is a grand part of American history.
The Annual Re-Ride takes place at the Patee House Museum & House of Jesse James in St. Joseph.
The museum is located at 914 Penn St, St Joseph, MO 64503
