The Pony Express Museum is a

transport museum A transport museum is a museum that holds collections of transport items, which are often limited to land transport (road and rail)—including old cars, motorcycles, trucks, trains, trams/streetcars, buses, trolleybuses and coaches—but can als ...

Saint Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri. Small parts of St. Joseph extend into Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the principal city of the St. Joseph Metropolitan Statistical Area, which inclu ...

, documenting the history of the

Pony Express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders. It operated from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861, between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pik ...

, the first fast

mail The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letter (message), letters, and parcel (package), parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid ...

line across the

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

n continent from the Missouri River to the Pacific coast. The museum is housed in a surviving portion of the Pike's Peak Stables, from which westward-bound Pony Express riders set out on their journey. The Pony Express Museum is one of the most historically educational museums in the country in respect to the legendary mail service that ran from April, 3, 1860 to October 26, 1861. Between exhibits, a 7-part diorama, maps, an archeological dig and artifacts, the museum has entertained and educated visitors from all over the world. The museum just celebrated the 150th Sesquicentennial of the Pony Express on April 1–3, 2010 which drew over 10,000 people. The museum is located at 914 Penn Street, St. Joseph, Missouri. In 2011, the museum produced a live action documentary titled ''Days of the Pony Express'' produced by Jim Conlon with Scout Films. The film was given a favorable review by Wild West Magazine.

Stables

The Pony Express Stables, also known as Pike's Peak Stables, is a historic

stable A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...

building located at

St. Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri. Small parts of St. Joseph extend into Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the principal city of the St. Joseph Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includ ...

. It is a one-story building, originally built as a wood-frame structure in 1858. Its exterior walls were rebuilt in brick in 1888, whether keeping the original structure intact and/or reused some of its posts and beams. The building marked the eastern terminus of the

. It is now the home of the museum. The building, originally Pike's Peak Stable, was built for care of horses of the local freight and stagecoach company. It was bought in 1860 by the Central Overland California and Pike's Peak Express Company to be used for the Pony Express. In the first Pony Express run on April 3, 1860, William (Billie) Richardson left from here to go the

Patee House The Patee House, also known as Patee House Museum, was completed in 1858 as a 140-room luxury hotel at 12th Street and Penn in St. Joseph, Missouri. It was one of the best-known hotels west of the Mississippi River. The Patee House was built by J ...

to pick up a waiting mochilla, then headed west. The building was restored in 1950 by the Goetz Foundation and the Pony Express National Memorial museum was then established. The building is in plan. Its front (north) and side walls are coursed brick, two bricks thick. As of 1970, the rear wall is wood frame on a brick foundation, covered by asbestos board. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1970.

References

External links

National Register profile
visitor information at the National Park Service's "Pony Express Trail" webpages
Pony Express Museum Web site

{{National Register of Historic Places in Missouri Transportation museums in Missouri History of the American West Museums in St. Joseph, Missouri American West museums Pony Express