National Pony Express Association

History and organization

The first re-ride of the Pony Express took place in 1923, with 60 participants riding across the eight original trail states. In 1935, a re-ride commemorated the Diamond Jubilee, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America; 300 Boy Scouts participated, and mail was delivered to President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the White House. The National Pony Express Centennial Association formed in 1960 to organize a 100th anniversary re-ride, which involved President Dwight D. Eisenhower and a commemorative coin from the U.S. Department of Treasury and U.S. Postal Service. The NPEA was organized in 1966 and received official corporate status on March 3, 1978, with its national headquarters in Pollock Pines, California.

Did You Know?

• In 1983, NPEA riders carried 60,000 pieces of mail around an avalanche on U.S. Highway 50 for $2 a day over six weeks.
• For the 1996 Olympic Torch Relay, 325 NPEA riders carried the Olympic Torch by horseback across 544 miles from Julesburg, Colorado, to St. Joseph, Missouri.
• The 150th anniversary re-ride in 2010 began in San Francisco, California, and ended in St. Joseph, Missouri, running only during daytime hours.