Pony Express Museum honors descendants in annual Re-Ride 1960’s celebration

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- The Pony Express Museum hosted its annual 1960's Re-Ride celebration, an event dedicated to preserving the legacy of the young riders who carried mail across the United States.

While the event is held each year, this year’s gathering was especially significant, as museum officials went into greater detail, inviting several descendants of the original riders to be part of the ceremony.

“We honor it in some fashion every year, but this one has been a little more detailed, being that we have some of the riders’ families come in by invitation,” said Ryan Dowell, Chairman of the Board at the Pony Express Museum.

The celebration featured presentations with pictures and videos of the riders, alongside snapshots of St. Joseph in the 1960s, highlighting the city’s deep-rooted ties to the historic mail service.

For the museum, the evening’s highlight was the opportunity to recognize and connect with the few remaining family members of the riders.

“There weren’t that many,” Dowell said. “And then to find the families, they didn’t know how to learn about their own heritage. We help them with that. Again, it’s just preserving their legacy.”

The event highlighted the immense challenges faced by the riders, who braved all kinds of weather to ensure the mail went through.

According to officials, descendants are few and far between today, making the effort to invite and recognize them a critical part of the museum’s mission.

Looking ahead, museum officials hope the movement to recognize the city’s history continues to grow.

“Awareness. If we can just touch a few people and let them know, ‘Hey, we’re still here. We’re trying to preserve this legacy. Come on down here and check us out.’ That would be great. That’s what we’re all about. Just awareness. Community awareness. It is important to St. Joe heritage and history.”

For those interested in the history of the Pony Express, the annual Re-Ride along the trail happens this June, where you can send a letter along the Mochila to be carried over 1900 miles by horseback. 

To register, go here.