National Pony Express Monument
Introduction
Text-to-speech Audio
Images
Backstory and Context
Text-to-speech Audio
The national Pony Express monument was
replicated by Robert Shure and the Sons of Avard Fairbanksin 1998 and was
presented to This is The Place Heritage Park on July 25, 1998. The originally
"Changing Horses" was created in 1947 by Avard T. Fairbanks. This
statue shows the exchange of mail and rider to a fresh horse
from a tired horse. While the new rider is still trying to gain
balance and his horse taking off, the old man holding his tired horse is
waiving farewell.
The Pony Express was a mail delivery service that lasted around 19 months. The
way the mail was delivered was by rider and horse. The route went from the east
coast all the way to the west coast. It was the fastest way of communication
from coast to coast until the telegraph was established. It was approximately
1,900 mile route with 157 pony express stations along the route.
With having 157 stations there was around 10 miles in between each station.
This was just enough miles apart so the horse could gallop the whole
distance before completely tiring. At each station the rider would change
horses and keep on going. Usually they didn't even have time to stop and eat
they would eat while riding. Though horses changed around ever 10 miles riders
didn't change until every 75-100 miles.