3355. Visit the Pony Express Station in Gothenburg

 The one thing I wanted to do on our way across Nebraska this trip was stop at the Pony Express Station in Gothenburg. It is only open seasonally so coming through in March in the future would not work. I find all things Pony Express fascinating.

The Pony Express Station in Gothenburg is open from early April to the end of October every day. You can view the outside of it all year round. 

The Sam Macchette Station was built in 1854 on the Oregon Trail and used as a trading post and ranch house. It was also a Pony Express station for the 18 months that the Pony Express operated from April 1860 to October 1861. Afterwards it was used as a stagecoach station, bunkhouse, and private dwelling. It was moved to it's present day location in 1931 when Mrs. C. A. Williams donated it to the city of Gothenburg.

The building is not much bigger than my kitchen. It houses a small museum featuring what life would have been like as a Pony Express Station. It also had a nice collection of antique revolvers.

One of the reasons I wanted to stop here was to get a Pony Express stamp but since COVID hit, the National Park Service removed all the stamps and they never got it back. Oh well. I think I have one anyways. There is a pressed penny machine which might just become my next collection.

The Gothenburg Pony Express Station is worth the stop. You only need 15-20 minutes to see it, more if you really read everything. It is located in a city park so plenty of room for pets and kids to run around. There is also the Sod House Museum in town that is on my bucket list and should probably have checked out while we were there. Alas next time.

3232. Go to the Pony Express Museum in St. Joseph

Last time when we drove from Kansas City to Omaha, we went by St. Joseph and noticed several things I wanted to do.  I planned our time in Kansas City to allow us time to stop in St. Joseph if everything worked out the way it should. We definitely did have time to stop at the Pony Express Museum in St. Joseph even with a picking up our fixed tire and going to the wrong library.

The Pony Express Museum is dedicated to the riders of the Pony Express. Those men rode on horseback from St. Joseph, MO to Sacramento, CA delivering the mail. Each rider had a leg of the route to cover and had a very important job to do. The mail would take 10 days to go from one end to the other. 

The museum is very informative. You learned how the Pony Express got started, how the riders rode and lived, and what eventually ended the Pony Express. There are also exhibits on traveling west and pioneer life in general. Some of it is hands on, other is just artifacts and reading.

We enjoyed our stop at the Pony Express Museum. It was definitely worth the stop and made a nice stretch break attraction. The hubby said there wasn't much else he'd see in St. Joseph but I beg to differ. Its an old town but it does have a lot of history and worth checking out.