Pony Express National Museum ~

We'd both been curious to see St. Joseph, MO.  It was within a decent distance for a day trip & we were both ready for some away time.  The drive down was due south on Hwy 29.  We drove along what seemed like miles & miles of timbered hill county on both sides of the road.  I'm an open-space person, but can imagine that the parks must have some outstanding trails.  It was way too hot for that idea though & we wanted to visit the Pony Express Museum!

The front~

Seeing the stable now, it's hard to imagine how badly it fell into disrepair before the reconstruction.   Time & weather take a toll - but during the 1950's a portion of the Pikes Peak Stables was saved from extinction & became the Pony Express Museum.  

Down the side of the Stable~

In 1993, a second renovation took place to restore the structure to it's original size.  The color of the brick is so pretty.  You almost expect the windows to be open & hear the sound of horses munching on their hay.

Left to ruin~

Once inside, the depiction of that first rider heading out was pretty realistic!  What a thrill it would have been to witness the start of that first ride west!

Ready to ride!

Around the corner were the stalls.  Complete with a couple beautiful, very old, life size horse models.  These display horses are from the Wyeth Saddle Company, circa 1880.  Used to display saddles/bridles, both were much narrower in build than most of todays horses.

The stable~

The gray below was saddled & ready~

Saddled~

One of the most interesting features, was the old well.  The hand pump worked & Butch pumped water into the watering trough.  It was found & excavated in 1991 by the St. Joseph Archeological Society.  22-1/2 feet deep - it had been filled with trash & covered up.

Looking down through the floor~

In another area, below the floor boards was a look back into the history of the buildings foundation walls.

Under our feet~

The new Hall of Riders was fascinating!  Stories of the rides & photos of some of the men/boys who rode.

One of the Riders~

The saddle below, belonged to Mr. Stricklen.  Butch noticed that the saddle had a small seat, by today's standards.  Mr. Stricklen was much younger & smaller when he rode, than in the photo above.

Antique Saddle

We spent over two-hours touring, reading & enjoying the exhibits.  By mid-afternoon the temperature had climbed into the high 80's & we were ready to look for a restaurant.

Jakes~

Finding Jakes on a downtown corner, with an outside patio area, we went in!  Local beer, great food, a place we'll return to!

Butch finds a friend :-)

I would love to have the horse above in my yard!  All made from wire - a stunning piece of art!

Similar to the statue we've seen in Julesburg, CO

We toured around town, so many impressive old buildings.  I find it so sad to see them sitting empty & unused.  Some of the historic homes are in amazing condition, others could use a lot of help.  As we visit these mid-west cities & towns - I can't help but wish a Chip & Joanna lived in each...

If you enjoy history, St. Joseph exudes it.  The jumping off place for so many pioneers heading west - it still holds onto the aging glamor of a bygone era~