Pony Express Re-Ride leaves Sacramento Wednesday

The Pony Express was only in existence for 18 months from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861, but the legacy behind the horses and riders continues today. When it started, it reduced the time for messages to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to about 10 days. When it ended and was replaced by the telegraph, the Pony Express quickly became romanticized and became part of the lore of the American West.

Each year the National Pony Express Association conducts a re-ride along the original route and this year it starts on Wednesday, June 16 in Sacramento.

The Re-Ride takes place every June. In odd years, they ride from Sacramento, California to St. Joseph, Missouri, in even years, from St. Joseph to Sacramento. The 2020 Re-Ride had to be canceled due to COVID-19 so this direction is reversed from what it was prior to 2020. The first re-ride of the Pony Express was held in 1923, resurected in 1960 for the 100th anniversary, and then the annual event started in 1980 and has been held each year since except for the COVID-year.

When they move from west to east, the pony and rider go through Woodfords, and when moving from east to west the route comes through South Lake Tahoe.

The riders leave Old Town Sacramento at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, Folsom Museum at 6:29 a.m., the El Dorado Y at 9:53 p.m., and the Hangtown Chamber of Commerce at 11:02 p.m., and wrapping up the West Slope by leaving Sportsman’s Hall at 12:51 a.m.

The schedule has the rider and horse at Woodfords at 1:00 p.m. Thursday, then heading to Carson City. They plan to arrive in Carson City by 6:00 p.m. then they're off to Fort Churchill, arriving about 10:45 p.m.

For a detailed itinerary, visit http://nationalponyexpress.org/re-ride/current-reride/. They are scheduled to arrive at the end in St. Joseph on June 26 at 7:30 p.m. CT.

The ride can be followed in real-time at http://nationalponyexpress.org/re-ride/follow-the-ride/.

Prior to their leaving Sacramento, the public had a chance to have letters carried inside the riders' mail pouch, or mochila. Around 1,000 letters are mailed each year.

Each year it takes about 650 riders to complete the 1966 mile Pony Express trail for the Re-Ride. Each rider will ride a leg of about 2-5 miles and then hand off the mochila at preassigned locations.

In 1860, the roughly 186 Pony Express stations along the eight-state route were about 10 miles apart. At each station, the express rider would change to a fresh horse, taking only the mochila. Each rider would complete about 75 miles and horses were changed every 10-15 miles.

Just as the re-ride, the original riders were on the route 24/7.

Many of those stations became towns in the future. Some of the stations in the area include Dayton, Carson City, Genoa, Friday's (Stateline, Nev.), Woodford's, Yank's (Meyers), and Strawberry.