Pony Express Rerun

Each June, members of the National Pony Express Association recreate the Pony Express in a Commemorative Re-Run over a 10-day period. Letters are carried in a mochila over the original trail.

The 1,966 mile, eight state event is conducted 24 hours a day until the mail is delivered to its destination. More than a national event, it is an opportunity for a new generation to ride the Pony Trail or to receive Express mail.

Over 550 riders participate. They come from all walks of life, but are all members of NPEA Divisions in the eight states on the trail. We invite you to join us in this event.

The Patee House Museum is the stopping or starting point of this 10-day event. The Museum holds a small celebration on this day in honor of the Pony Express.
2008 Missouri Division
Justin Arnold
Norma Foster
Penny Arnold
Priscilla Foster
Amy Beaty
Emily King
Betty Bristow
John King
James Buhman
Richard King
Carolyn Chilcote
Suzanne King
Doug Chilcote
Joe Nardone (CA)
Gary Chilcote
Francis Peniston
Mary Chilcote
Quackgrass SAlly (MT)
Kimberly Davis
John Wolfe

2008 Pony Express Re-run

The National Pony Express Association will once again conduct a Re-Ride of the Pony Express Trail from Sacramento, California, to St. Joseph, Missouri, June 18 to 28, 2008.

This re-ride will be a 10-day, 24-hour a day, non-stop event by over 500 riders and horses. The 1,966 mile route will be over the Pony Express National Historic Trail from California, through Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas to Missouri. It is the longest event held annually on a historical trail in the nation, even surpassing the famed Iditarod.

The event commemorates the Pony Express of 1860-1861. The Central Overland and California Pikes Peak Express Company carried letters and telegrams for 19 months to prove the Central Route through Salt Lake passable year round. The owners hoped to win a federal mail contract on that route. Pony Express history is preserved in the federally designated Historic Trail, administered by the National Park Service, in museums, Pony Rider monuments, books, and the annual re-creations by the NPEA.

Riders will carry Commemorative Letters in a Mochila, Pony Express style. The cachets, honoring Pony Express history, will be available for purchase by NPEA members, historians, and philatelists. The envelopes will show they were carried by the Pony Express and the first class postage will have a special US Postal service cancellation. Only the number of letters purchased will be carried.

Communications between Riders and Ride Captains are provided by amateur radio operators in the states of California, Nevada, and Utah. Also, for the first time, a GPS unit will be carried in one of the cantinas on the Mochila. The size of a deck of cards, the GPS unit will transmit the location of the Mochila every five minutes to a satellite. The unit will be active for the entire length of the Re-Ride. Information can be accessed from the Re-Ride Update Page.