Pony Express Memorialized

President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated a new statue commemorating the Pony Express in a ceremony held 25 July at This Is the Place Heritage Park in Salt Lake City. “God be thanked for these valiant, wonderful men, many of them from Utah, who gave their service knowing that they might have to give their lives in bringing about this tremendous epic in the history of the West,” remarked President Hinckley before offering the dedicatory prayer.

Passing through Salt Lake City, Pony Express riders delivered mail between Missouri and California from April 1860 to October 1861, ceasing service when the telegraph became available. “They were young men,” President Hinckley said. “They were idealistic. They were courageous. They were brave. They undertook a tremendous thing. They couldn’t weigh more than 120 pounds. They received $25 a month and room and board for the very arduous service which they gave. They were at it constantly, day and night, sunshine and storm. It was a very significant thing, and, while it lasted for only 18 months, a chapter was written in the history of the West.”

The Pony Express statue at This Is the Place Heritage Park in Salt Lake City is based on a design by late sculptor Avard T. Fairbanks. (Photo by Johanna Workman, Deseret News.)