Pony Express



Above and below is the Pony Express home station in Marysville.

About 139 miles of the eastern part of the Pony Express route is in Kansas. From St. Joseph, the route primarily follows U.S. 36 to Marysville, then it turns northwest following the Little Blue River into Nebraska. The Kansas section had 11 stations to change riders or horses.

The only original Pony Express home station where they changed riders is open to visitors in Marysville. Pony Express Home Station No. 1 - Barn and Museum, includes the original stable, which is also the oldest building in Marshall County, and an annex that was added in 1991. For more information, click here.  

About 16 miles northwest of Marysville in Hanover is the Hollenberg Pony Express Station state historic site where they changed horses. The site includes the historic station, a visitor’s center and a hiking trail. For more information, click here.

The entire Pony Express route went from St. Joseph, Mo., to San Francisco, Calif., and was nearly 2,000 miles long. The first ride took place on April 3, 1860. The original charge was $5 an ounce and 5 cents for each additional ounce.

During its 19 months of operation, it reduced the travel time for messages to about 10 days. It was the most direct means of communication before the transcontinental telegraph was established on Oct. 24, 1861, which basically brought an end to the Pony Express.

The Hollenberg Pony Express Station state historic site.

In the 1960s, a group of horse and trail enthusiasts re-enacted the Pony Express ride and formed the National Pony Express Association in 1977. The event is set to begin June 20 in California and end on June 30 in St. Joseph. For more details, check out https://nationalponyexpress.org/.