National Pony Express Monument - Salt Lake City, Utah
Posted by: 
Lord Mot
N 40° 45.136 W 111° 49.195
12T E 430785 N 4511580
Located in the This Is the Place Heritage Park
Waymark Code: WMEYTJ
Location: Utah, United States
Date Posted: 07/24/2012
Views: 26
"Changing Horses"
The Pony Express Memorial Statue in Salt Lake City was completed and dedicated on Saturday, July 25, 1998, at the Pioneer Trail State Park in Salt Lake City. It is located west of the This Is The Place Monument. This statue is double life size and depicts an older rider standing beside his spent horse, having just thrown the mail bags on another horse, and waving farewell to his replacement; a young man, off balance, still getting into the saddle while his horse takes off. To the rear is the station keeper, holding the rider's exhausted horse.
The designer of this work was the late world-renowned sculptor, Dr. Avard T. Fairbanks. This statue is one of three that were designed by Dr. Fairbanks,
There are three plaques with Rider Reminiscences, these plaques read:
"My run on that record-breaking ride was 57 miles. We did not have stations then change our horses. I had to make it with just one horse and I made the run in mighty good time considering the distance, but I killed the poor horse doing it. He was so stiff the next morning we couldn't get him out of the stable." George Washington Perkins
"Relays were ten to twenty miles apart. The horses were always ready and often the change from one horse to another was made in less than a minute. At some places I was given a canvas bag of food which I ate as I rode." Frank H. Gould
"I took the Express from Ruby Valley, Nevada to Salt Lake City, a distance of 300 miles in 34 hours, using six horses and two mules. Several stations were burned on the road and several animals stolen ... in November, 1860 I carried the Presidential election returns west over 75 miles ... The news was carried 1,966 miles from St. Joe, Missouri to San Francisco in less than eight days, the fastest time ever made by the Pony Express." William Frederick Fisher
There is also a Bronze plaque mounted in a stone wall mapping the Pony Express Trail that was placed by the National Pony Express Centennial Assm.
To the south is a Poney Express Cabin and Corral.
Visit Instructions:
1) Locate and photograph a monument or memorial to the Pony Express, be it a stone or a mural or a roadside sign.
2) The standard rules apply: a photo of the goal and one of your GPS unit - no vacation photos or web downloads will be accepted.
3) Include the coordinates of the location and the name of the city or town in your log.
4) Feel free to include as much history as you'd like. Educate us!