The rider will ride his trusty steed in Old Sac (Sacramento, CA) on Wednesday, June 16 at 2:00 p.m. PDT and head east, crossing eight states before heading to St. Joseph, MO.

Horses and riders will cross the Colorado stretch in the early morning of Thursday, June 24. The Colorado Division of the Pony Express expects to meet the Nebraska contingent in Chappell, NE at 2:30 a.m. and will carry the mail via a 17 mile mochila through Sedgwick County to a location south of Big Springs in less than 4 hours. hours.

The last horse and rider are expected to arrive at St. Joseph, Mo station at 7:30 p.m. CDT.

The Pony Express operated from April 1860 to October 1861 and was once known as the “fastest courier in the West”. The Pony Express carried mail between Missouri and California, before the telegraph or the train.

The riders galloped a distance of almost 2,000 and in between there were around 190 relay stations, where every 10 to 20 miles the rider would stop to change his horse. There were also home stations that dotted the 45 to 85 mile map. A new rider would relieve the first rider and continue to carry mail through the rough terrain.

The bag that was used to carry the mail was called a mochila and it fits over the saddle. The mochila had four pockets called cantinas in which the mail was placed. Three of the pockets were locked and the fourth was used to store letters that were picked up or delivered along the way. Neither a horse nor a rider made the whole trip, only the mochila.

Dinner and entertainment will take place at the Colorado Welcome Center on Wednesday, June 23. This will coincide with the 25th anniversary of the opening of the travel center. Dinner will start at 5.30 p.m.