A Pony Express re-rider travels south on Jacks Valley Road in June 2024 as part of the annual event that crosses nearly half the country.
Photo by Kurt Hildebrand.
The annual Pony Express Re-ride starts in Old Sacramento on June 11 and should arrive in Genoa the following afternoon.
The relay across the country from Sacramento to Missouri carries a pouch of actual letters across the county, paid for at the 1860 price of $5.
The deadline to obtain one of those letters is May 1, so there isn’t much time to catch the ride.
Personal letters are also available for $10 each.
All letters will be carried on horseback from Sacramento to St. Joseph, Mo. They will be stamped as having been officially carried by Pony Express and then delivered via USPS. The letter application form can be obtained by downloading it from the NPEA website at https://nationalponyexpress.org/re-ride/send-a-letter/.
The event, celebrating the 165th year anniversary of “the Pony,” will start in Sacramento and end in St. Joseph, Mo., traveling west to east this year.
The first rider will depart Old Sacramento, Calif., on 2 p.m. June 11 and the last rider is scheduled to arrive at the Patee House in St. Joseph, Mo., June 21.
The route will follow the Pony Express National Historic Trail, a component of the National Trails System. The mail will travel 1966 miles across California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, and Kansas, to Missouri.
Approximately 600 member riders from NPEA’s eight State Divisions will ride relay-style, 24 hours a day, until the mochila is delivered in St. Joseph, Missouri. Each rider will take the Pony Express Oath prior to riding with the mochila, just as the riders did in 1860.
The annual Re-ride is a 10-day, 24 hours-a-day event honoring the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Co. The company carried letters and telegrams from April 1860 to November 1861, proving the Central Route through Salt Lake City was passable year round. Their intent was to win a federal mail contract, which, unfortunately, never materialized.
During the Re-ride, updates and information about the progress across the Pony Express trail can be found at https://www.facebook.com/expressrider/.
A GPS Device will be carried in the mochila, that transmits real-time location of the mail. The National Parks Service will have an interactive map to follow the transmissions at https://nationalponyexpress.org/re-ride/follow-the-ride/. Status updates will also be posted on the website and photos & videos on the NPEA Facebook page.
The National Pony Express Re-ride schedule is available on NPEA’s website https://nationalponyexpress.org/re-ride/current-reride/ with links to detailed state schedules.