{"id":6225,"date":"2008-06-20T12:28:12","date_gmt":"2008-06-20T17:28:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visitmowp.local\/things-to-do\/pony-express-national-museum\/"},"modified":"2026-04-27T08:19:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T13:19:53","slug":"pony-express-national-museum","status":"publish","type":"thing-to-do","link":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/things-to-do\/pony-express-national-museum","title":{"rendered":"Pony Express National Museum"},"author":3918,"template":"","class_list":["post-6225","thing-to-do","type-thing-to-do","status-publish","hentry","listing-category-museum","listing-category-things-to-do","region-northwest","city-st-joseph","listing-tag-art-and-history","listing-tag-civil-war","listing-tag-culture","listing-tag-festivals","listing-tag-historic-sites-civil-war","listing-tag-history-museum","listing-tag-jesse-james","listing-tag-mark-twain","listing-tag-meeting-tour-groups-welcome","listing-tag-missouri-river","listing-tag-pre-1900-structures","listing-tag-tours"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":{"listing_type":16,"listing_event_start":null,"listing_event_end":null,"listing_category":591,"listing_event_venue":"","listing_event_venue_write_in":"","listing_description":"On April 3, 1860, a lone rider, the first of his kind, left Pikes Peak Stables in St. Joseph, marking the start of the Pony Express. Brave riders, carrying saddlebags filled with our nation's hopes and dreams, traveled more than 2,000 miles west to California.\r\n\r\nToday, the stables house a modern, interactive and educational tribute to the history and legend of the Pony Express. Experience exciting, educational, state-of-the-art exhibits chronicling the need, creation, operation and termination of the Pony Express.\r\n\r\nWhatever your age, you're sure to be captivated by the stories and images of an era long passed. A 60-foot diorama depicts the diverse terrain over which the riders traveled.\r\n\r\nIn the newly opened\u00a0<strong>Hall of Riders<\/strong>, you can learn about life on the Trail, hear stories of the riders' hair-raising adventures and see historic photographs of 22 famous and lesser known Pony Express riders, including Johnny Fry, Buffalo Bill and Broncho Charlie Miller. On display are authentic objects from the riders' personal collections\u00a0 -- like Robert Strickland's saddle, donated by his descendants; new rider added James Benjamin \"Bean\" Hamilton and his exciting life history and the finding of his picture in a family attic; and updated mannequins in the museum, a mother and two children. We have added a life skills learning experience throughout the museum.\r\n\r\nToday, the Stables continue to stand as a tribute to the legend and legacy of the Pony Express and its enduring era.","approval":true,"listing_website":"http:\/\/ponyexpress.org\/","listing_email":"pxdirector@ponyexpress.net","listing_phone_number":"816-279-5059","listing_tripadvisor_id":"208683","listing_president_owner_ceo":{"name":"Cindy Daffron","title_or_role":"Executive Director","business_or_org":"Pony Express Museum Inc.","direct_phone":"8162795059","direct_email":"pxdirector@ponyexpress.net"},"listing_marketing_or_pr_contact":{"name":"Cindy Daffron","title_or_role":"Executive Director","business_or_org":"Pony Express National Museum Inc","direct_phone":"8162795059","direct_email":"pxdirector@ponyexpress.net"},"listing_address_1":"914 Penn St.","listing_city":150,"listing_state":"MO","listing_zip_code":"64503","listing_map":{"address":"","lat":39.756163,"lng":-94.849041,"zoom":14,"street_number":"","street_name":"","street_short_name":"","city":"","state":"","state_short":"","post_code":"","country":"","country_short":"","place_id":""},"listing_open_seasonally":false,"listing_hours_message":"website","listing_daily_schedule":[{"days":"","status":"Open","opening_time":"","closing_time":""},{"days":"","status":"Open","opening_time":"","closing_time":""},{"days":"","status":"Open","opening_time":"","closing_time":""},{"days":"","status":"Open","opening_time":"","closing_time":""},{"days":"","status":"Open","opening_time":"","closing_time":""},{"days":"","status":"Open","opening_time":"","closing_time":""},{"days":"","status":"Open","opening_time":"","closing_time":""},{"days":"","status":"Open","opening_time":"","closing_time":""},{"days":"","status":"Open","opening_time":"","closing_time":""}],"listing_attributes_main":{"travelers_disabilities_info":["Partially Wheelchair Accessible"],"smoking_policy":["No Smoking"],"activities_on_site":[],"activities_10_miles":["Biking \/ Walking Trails","Boating","Camping","Casino Gaming","Fishing","Golf","Historic District","Winery \/ Vineyard"],"cost_of_admission":[],"discounts_offered":["AAA Discount","AARP Discount","Group Discount","Military Discount","Senior Citizen Discount"],"general_interest_info":["Gift \/ Souvenir Shop","Open Year-round","This Facility Is In The National Register Of Historic Places","Wi-Fi Available"],"group_policy":["Advance Contact Required"],"guest_res_needed":["Reservations Not Required"],"pet_policy":["Pets Are Not Allowed","Service Animals Welcome"],"rental_items_available":[],"suitable_age_groups":[],"payment_types":["American Express Card","Cash","Discover","Mastercard","Personal Check","Travelers Checks","Visa"]},"listing_attributes_dining":{"food_type":[],"dining_type":[],"dining_setting":[],"meals_served":[],"farmers_market":[]},"listing_attributes_hotel":{"on_site_amenities":[""],"room_amenities":[""],"room_rates_high":"","room_rates_low":"","room_rate_info":"","add_features":"","camping_facilities":[""],"campsite_amenities":[""]},"listing_attributes_service":{"outfitter_guide":[],"chamber_commerce":[],"visitors_center":[],"event_center":[],"event_planner":[],"tour_operator":[],"tour_type":[]},"listing_attributes_golf":{"glf_amenities":[],"glf_information":[],"glf_par":"","glf_dress_code":[],"glf_cartfee":"","glf_wkday_fee":"","glf_wkend_fee":"","glf_club_hours":"","glf_pro_hours":"","glf_type":[],"glf_holes":[]},"listing_attributes_animal":{"pet_boarding":[],"eqs_facilities":[],"eqs_services":[]},"listing_attributes_outdoor":{"floating":[]},"listing_keywords":[59,71,177,86,60,54,79,80,81,85,175,65],"listing_keywords_custom1":"","listing_keywords_custom2":"","listing_keywords_custom":null,"listing_venue_accept_groups":true,"listing_advance_contact_required":false,"listing_advance_contact_requested":true,"listing_comp_policy_offered":true,"listing_group_contact_name":"Michelle Jones","listing_group_contact_phone":"800-530-5930","listing_group_contact_email":"pxdirector@ponyexpress.net","listing_group_contact_website":"","listing_images":[{"image":16583},{"image":16584}],"featured_images_legacy":[{"image_url":"https:\/\/mdt-visitmo-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com\/visitmo\/pony-express-national-museum-1dd90f49362a134ce5231d2f722d5451.jpg","image_small_url":"https:\/\/mdt-visitmo-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com\/visitmo\/pony-express-national-museum-1dd90f49362a134ce5231d2f722d5451-326x256.jpg","title":"Pony Express National Musuem","copyright":"","lat":"39.756049","lng":"-94.848575"},{"image_url":"https:\/\/mdt-visitmo-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com\/visitmo\/pony-express-national-museum-3d3d3a51c645afb1772a459929227ca5.jpg","image_small_url":"https:\/\/mdt-visitmo-cdn.s3.amazonaws.com\/visitmo\/pony-express-national-museum-3d3d3a51c645afb1772a459929227ca5-326x256.jpg","title":"Pony School House on Grounds of Pony Express Museum","copyright":"","lat":"39.756049","lng":"-94.848575"},{"image_url":"https:\/\/mdt-visitmo-cdn.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/visitmo\/large-pony-express-national-museum-5cf6d7c73a58e.jpg","image_small_url":"https:\/\/mdt-visitmo-cdn.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/visitmo\/small-pony-express-national-museum-5cf6d7c73a58e.jpg","title":"Hall of Riders - Life at the Stations","copyright":"","lat":"","lng":""},{"image_url":"https:\/\/mdt-visitmo-cdn.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/visitmo\/large-pony-express-national-museum-5cf6d7e82a12d.jpg","image_small_url":"https:\/\/mdt-visitmo-cdn.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/visitmo\/small-pony-express-national-museum-5cf6d7e82a12d.jpg","title":"Pony Express Route as Depicted in 60-foot Interactive Diorama","copyright":"Patrick Evenson | Coverage Photography","lat":"","lng":""},{"image_url":"https:\/\/mdt-visitmo-cdn.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/visitmo\/large-pony-express-national-museum-5eff70afd2726.jpg","image_small_url":"https:\/\/mdt-visitmo-cdn.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/visitmo\/small-pony-express-national-museum-5eff70afd2726.jpg","title":"Moment in Time - April 3, 1860","copyright":"","lat":"","lng":""},{"image_url":"https:\/\/mdt-visitmo-cdn.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/visitmo\/large-pony-express-national-museum-5eff70ea589d7.jpg","image_small_url":"https:\/\/mdt-visitmo-cdn.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/visitmo\/small-pony-express-national-museum-5eff70ea589d7.jpg","title":"Archaeological Dig","copyright":"","lat":"","lng":""}],"listing_video_id":""},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.4 (Yoast SEO v28.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Things to Do | Pony Express National Museum<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/things-to-do\/pony-express-national-museum\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pony Express National Museum\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/things-to-do\/pony-express-national-museum\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Visit Missouri\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VisitMO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-27T13:19:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mdt-visitmo-cdn.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/visitmo-social.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"678\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@visitmo\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.visitmo.com\\\/things-to-do\\\/pony-express-national-museum\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.visitmo.com\\\/things-to-do\\\/pony-express-national-museum\",\"name\":\"Things to Do | Pony Express National Museum\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.visitmo.com\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2008-06-20T17:28:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-27T13:19:53+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.visitmo.com\\\/things-to-do\\\/pony-express-national-museum#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.visitmo.com\\\/things-to-do\\\/pony-express-national-museum\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.visitmo.com\\\/things-to-do\\\/pony-express-national-museum#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.visitmo.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Things to Do\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.visitmo.com\\\/things-to-do\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Pony Express National Museum\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.visitmo.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.visitmo.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Visit Missouri\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.visitmo.com\\\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"Visit MO\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.visitmo.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.visitmo.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Missouri Division of Tourism\",\"alternateName\":\"Visit MO\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.visitmo.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.visitmo.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdt-visitmo-cdn.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/VisitMologo_black-01.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mdt-visitmo-cdn.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2022\\\/02\\\/VisitMologo_black-01.png\",\"width\":1876,\"height\":897,\"caption\":\"Missouri Division of Tourism\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.visitmo.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/VisitMO\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/visitmo\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/VisitMO\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/channel\\\/UCQI9W3Du1Wviap0WOTVwNnA\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Things to Do | Pony Express National Museum","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/things-to-do\/pony-express-national-museum","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Pony Express National Museum","og_url":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/things-to-do\/pony-express-national-museum","og_site_name":"Visit Missouri","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VisitMO","article_modified_time":"2026-04-27T13:19:53+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":678,"url":"https:\/\/mdt-visitmo-cdn.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/visitmo-social.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@visitmo","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/things-to-do\/pony-express-national-museum","url":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/things-to-do\/pony-express-national-museum","name":"Things to Do | Pony Express National Museum","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2008-06-20T17:28:12+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-27T13:19:53+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/things-to-do\/pony-express-national-museum#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/things-to-do\/pony-express-national-museum"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/things-to-do\/pony-express-national-museum#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Things to Do","item":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/things-to-do"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Pony Express National Museum"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/","name":"Visit Missouri","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/#organization"},"alternateName":"Visit MO","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/#organization","name":"Missouri Division of Tourism","alternateName":"Visit MO","url":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mdt-visitmo-cdn.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/VisitMologo_black-01.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mdt-visitmo-cdn.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/VisitMologo_black-01.png","width":1876,"height":897,"caption":"Missouri Division of Tourism"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/VisitMO","https:\/\/x.com\/visitmo","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/VisitMO\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCQI9W3Du1Wviap0WOTVwNnA"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/thing-to-do\/6225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/thing-to-do"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/thing-to-do"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3918"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/thing-to-do\/6225\/revisions"}],"acf:term":[{"embeddable":true,"taxonomy":"listing-tag","href":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/listing-tag\/65"},{"embeddable":true,"taxonomy":"listing-tag","href":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/listing-tag\/175"},{"embeddable":true,"taxonomy":"listing-tag","href":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/listing-tag\/85"},{"embeddable":true,"taxonomy":"listing-tag","href":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/listing-tag\/81"},{"embeddable":true,"taxonomy":"listing-tag","href":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/listing-tag\/80"},{"embeddable":true,"taxonomy":"listing-tag","href":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/listing-tag\/79"},{"embeddable":true,"taxonomy":"listing-tag","href":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/listing-tag\/54"},{"embeddable":true,"taxonomy":"listing-tag","href":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/listing-tag\/60"},{"embeddable":true,"taxonomy":"listing-tag","href":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/listing-tag\/86"},{"embeddable":true,"taxonomy":"listing-tag","href":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/listing-tag\/177"},{"embeddable":true,"taxonomy":"listing-tag","href":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/listing-tag\/71"},{"embeddable":true,"taxonomy":"listing-tag","href":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/listing-tag\/59"},{"embeddable":true,"taxonomy":"city","href":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/city\/150"},{"embeddable":true,"taxonomy":"listing-category","href":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/listing-category\/591"},{"embeddable":true,"taxonomy":"listing-category","href":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/listing-category\/16"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitmo.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}