Museum prepares for 165th anniversary of Pony Express Mail Service
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The Pony Express Museum is celebrating a major milestone honoring the famous, but short-lived, mail service.
On April 3, 1860, the first rider left St. Joseph, and nearly 165 years later, the enterprise is still being honored for its efforts to provide faster communication between the East and West.
“It's our pleasure to be able to open this facility up and also our campus on April 4, 5 and 6,” Executive Director Cindy Daffron said. “It is free admission to go to our buildings.”
Daffron has served as executive director for nearly 20 years, and she can quickly provide a history lesson with the knowledge she gained over that time.
“Every time I come into this building and look around, I see or hear something that I didn't know,” Ryan Dowell, president of the museum's board of trustees, said. “And listening to Cindy, you'll hear it all at least twice.”
A visitor from Seneca, Kansas, which holds a Pony Express re-ride in the summer, brought her children to the museum and, they were just as engaged as she was.
“They love seeing the horses and weaponry and all the different things that they used to do to survive, you know, with the covered wagon and the food that they used,” Jillisa Christenson said.
Museum leadership listened to feedback from visitors who wanted more opportunities to attend events. Visitors will have three days, from April 4 to 6, to celebrate the museum’s 165th anniversary.
“We're going to have all kinds of activities for all ages,” Dowell said. “Young, old, everything in between. We're proud of this, we're very proud of what Cindy has built in the last 20 years.”
In Daffron’s first year as executive director, the museum saw 18,000 visitors, and in 2024, it saw 50,000. She thanked everyone who answered the call when the museum needed renovations, such as new sidewalks.
“We couldn't be where we are today between the community, the county, the state, the city, all of these people are players,” she said.
