Pony Express gallops into Old Sacramento, commemorating 46th annual re-ride

The Pony Express national President Pam Dixon-Simmons galloped into Old Sacramento and came to a hard stop as the final rider to complete the relay of the 10-day long journey from St. Joseph, Missouri.

The 46th annual “re-ride” of the Pony Express re-lived how the private mail service once relayed thousands of letters between 700 riders along the nearly 2,000-mile-long Pony Express National Historic Trail.

The express mail service operated for 18 months between 1860 and 1861, ceasing operations after the invention of the telegraph.

“It’s so important to me to be able to teach the kids about history,” Dixon-Simmons said. “Even though (the Pony Express) was only 18 months, it was a vital part for our communication and our history, and just like today we’re still obsessed with faster communication. “

In one of the last updates before arriving, the pony arrived at the Folsom Museum at 11:17 a.m. about 10 minutes ahead of schedule, according to updates from the National Pony Express Association stable master.

Dixon-Simmons and her quarter horse, Penny, took the mail on its last leg from the Discovery Park and arrived in Old Sacramento at 4:27 p.m., completing her 34th year with the National Pony Express Association.

A large crowd and officials from the United States Postal Service gathered in Old Sacramento in front of a commemorative statue that honors the mail route. Former riders and officials of the NPEA waited, dressed in Western attire. NPEA officials, including Dixon-Simmons, sported blue jeans, a red shirt, a yellow scarf, a brown vest, boots and a hat.

“This was my dad’s,” Dixon-Simmons said, gripping the vest she wore. “I wear it every year so that he is still riding with me.”

She and her dad rode together every year until he passed in 2019. That year, the association honored him by having a “riderless horse” complete the mail route.

Rich Tatman, the California NPEA president and state ride captain, explained he has been a part of the NPEA for 28 years. He was unable to carry the mail this year because he was following the riders along their route and ensuring they did not have any issues.

“There’s a lot more red tape nowadays because the state has to approve that we hold this, but when you compound that by eight states, it gets to be a lot,” Tatman said. “Every state has to have insurance and then that gets to be pricey. I think it’s $24,000 across eight states for insurance to cover the horse and any liability.”

The National Pony Express Association began in California in 1978. The NPEA now keeps a real-time GPS location on the riders as they travel across the states.

When the express was still in use, Central Overland California and Pike’s Peak Express Company used the service, attempting to win a federal mail contract by proving the route could be traveled year-round. Although they did not win a contract, Congress added it to the National Trails System as a historic trail organized by the National Park Service.

The Northern California Postal Customer Council also used the opportunity to unveil its 2024 horse postage stamp. This was their first year unveiling a new stamp with the NPEA event.

“So it’s really to see the evolution of where (the Postal Service) started to were it is today. It’s a great thing to witness,” said Gabriel Magdaleno, Sacramento’s postmaster.

A page of 20 stamps sold at the event cost $13.36. In the 1860s, mail cost $5 per letter.

This story was originally published June 28, 2024 at 5:00 AM.