Pony Express celebrates 164 years of progress

By Kendra Simpson

St. Joseph is well known for many historical monuments, but one of the most noteworthy is the Pony Express, which will be celebrating its 164th anniversary next weekend.

“Next week is April the third,” said Cindy Daffron, executive director of the Pony Express Museum. “That’s 164 years the Pony Express lived right there by them stable doors … we can proudly say we’ve preserved them. We put cedar on the outside of everything on 10th Street, rehabbed all the plumbing and things that we can do. So it’s time to show it off and celebrate.”

The celebration begins 11 a.m. Friday, April 5, with a ribbon-cutting in front of the Pony Express stable doors. From 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., there will be a rounding up of western artists with displays and presentations by the artists themselves.

Each building on the Pony Express campus will host its own celebration, including showing off new museum displays of artifacts donated by families in the area. Residents can also view the Pony Express Museum and campus building all day Sunday free of charge.

This three-day event is not just celebrating the long history of the Pony Express, but also honoring the dedication and support of Dick and Mignon DeShon, who both died in 2022. Mignon DeShon’s grandfather had bought the museum in the late 1950s and handed it down to her to care for.

“For Mignon, this was her treasure because it goes back to her grandfather who came here and said, ‘This is where I want to be,’” Daffron said. “I’ll never forget the classic thing she said in an interview. She said, ‘Many of you have things in your attic (that) you don’t know what to do with them. Well, you bring them down here to the Pony (Express Museum) because we know how to take care of things.’”

DeShon’s great-granddaughter, Sophie, will be attending the celebration next weekend and has expressed her love for the museum. To learn more about the celebration, visit the Pony Express’ website at https://www.ponyexpress.org/