Gering in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Pony Express
Daring riders sped the mail from Missouri to California in ten days
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 3, 2015
1. Pony Express Marker
Go back in time to 1860 or 1861 and picture the traffic on the Oregon Trail – the freight wagons and stagecoaches, and the emigrants, soldiers, and Indians. But most colorful, perhaps, was the Pony Express rider streaking through Scotts Bluff.
Mark Twain witnessed the passing of “the Pony” from a stagecoach just a few miles from here:
“…nearer and still nearer, and the flutter of the hoofs comes faintly to the ear – another instant a whoop and a hurrah from our upper deck, a wave of the rider’s hand, but no reply, and man and horse burst past our excited face, and go swinging away like a belated fragment of a storm!”
The famed Pony Express operated for only a year and a half. In October 1861, the first transcontinental telegraph connected through here to California, and the era of the Pony Express came to an end.
Erected by National Park Service.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Communications • Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the Pony Express National Historic Trail series list. A significant historical month for this entry is October 1861.
Location. Marker has been reported permanently removed.
this page online
We have been informed that this sign or monument is no longer there and will not be replaced. This page is an archival view of what was.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location. A Landscape Changed Forever (here, next to this marker); Before the Wagons (here, next to this marker); The Many Faces of the Trail (a few steps from this marker); Remnant Highlands (within shouting distance of this marker); A Landmark for the Ages (approx. 0.2 miles away); Saddle Rock Trail (approx. 0.2 miles away); Eroding Landmark (approx. ¼ mile away); Scott Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gering.
More about this marker. The center of the marker contains a picture of a Pony Express rider and has a caption of “Pony riders ran 12 to 15 miles between stations where they mounted fresh horses.”
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 3, 2015
2. Pony Express Marker
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 3, 2015
3. Markers at Scotts Bluff
There are several markers at this location. The Pony Express marker is seen here in the middle.
Photographed By Bill Coughlin, August 3, 2015
4. Pony Express Monument at Scotts Bluff
Credits. This page was last revised on September 14, 2020. It was originally submitted on August 17, 2015, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 451 times since then and 13 times this year. Last updated on September 13, 2020, by Connor Olson of Kewaskum, Wisconsin. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 17, 2015, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
