Planning is well underway for the next “Re-Ride” of the famed Pony Express. An army of riders and support crews will leave St. Joseph, Missouri in June, 2024 and head west to Sacramento, California. It’s much more than an historic reenactment of the old Pony Express from the early 1860’s. The “Re-Ride” is organized by the National Pony Express Association. It takes a massive coordination effort by volunteers to pull it off — all in the name of histroy. In 2023, some 600 plus riders took part in the event in eight states to recreate the famous mail delivery service that ran through California, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado,  Kansas and into St. Joseph. They left Sacramento on June 7th.  Saving Americana followed part of the ride.  Winter rains and late spring storms had a big impact on the riders. Much of the route was much greener.  The Nevada desert and eastern Wyoming was a carpet of green rarely seen in the summer months.

In some places the the riders were met with a sea of Mormon crickets. At one spot in central Nevada the bugs almost made it look like the road was moving. The wet weather also forced riders to make some minor detours. But the changes really made the ride that much more authentic — because the originally riders were constantly improvising on their race to deliver the mail.

Ironically the real Pony Express in the 1860’s, lasted less than two years, put out of business by the telegraph. But the Pony Express has been celebrated ever since. A century later, in the 1960’s horse lovers began to re-ride the old trail — and the tradition continues today. The leather mochila — with four pockets for letters — is passed from horse to horse every few miles — a relay that runs 1,966 miles. They ride 24 hours a day, and deliver over a thousand pieces of actual mail. Here is a look at part of the 2023 ride in our special “Back on the Trail.”