CASPER Wyo.- The 37th annual re-ride of the Pony Express National Historic Trail will pass through Casper on Friday, June 9, at approximately 2 p.m. at the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center.
Visitors should arrive at the Trails Center by 1 p.m. due to the potential early arrival of the Pony Express. Visitors are welcome to tour the trails center’s six exhibit galleries while they await the arrival of horse and rider.
Les Bennington, President of the Eastern/Southeastern Wyoming Division of the National Pony Express Association, said this year’s heavy snowfall and early-season ride time could provide challenges when traveling through South Pass.
“When the schedule was set up it was based on the full moon," said Bennington. “It’ll be the earliest it’s ever been for our re-ride in 37 years.
This year’s re-creation of the Express will transport mail east to west. Following the Old Glenrock Highway into town, the re-ride will make several stops in Casper before arriving at the Trails Center mid-day. The ride will continue west, with an estimated 55 total hours spent in Wyoming.
Nearly 700 volunteer members of the National Pony Express Association take part in this family-oriented commemorative event. This year the first rider will depart St. Joseph, Missouri on June 5 at 10 a.m. CDT and will arrive in Sacramento, California on Saturday, June 15 at 3:30 pm PDT. The mail will be exchanged between riders along the 1,960-mile historic route.
To obtain a more specific arrival time or for more information, please call the Trails Center Information Desk at 307-261-7780. For details about the re-ride along its entire route and to follow the riders' progress, visit the National Pony Express Association online at www.xphomestation.com.
The NHTIC is a part of the BLM’s National Landscape Conservation System (NLCS.) The areas of the NLCS are specifically designed to conserve, protect and restore the exceptional scientific, natural, cultural, ecological, historical, and recreation values of these treasured landscapes.
The NHTIC is a public-private partnership between the BLM and the National Historic Trails Center Foundation. The facility is located at 1501 N. Poplar Street, Casper, Wyoming.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
