Pony Express - 100 Years - Edgewood, NV
N 38° 57.608 W 119° 56.475
11S E 245145 N 4316467
This Pony Express monument commemorates the first Pony Express rider who passed through here in 1860 as part of a centennial celebration.
Waymark Code: WMTM8T
Location: Nevada, United States
Date Posted: 12/09/2016
Views: 2
Located in front of Harrah's Casino is a large, bronze statue of a Pony Express rider on his horse delivering mail to his destination. There are two commemorative plaques that note the history at this point. One of the plaques reads:
IN COMMEMORATION OF
THE PONY EXPRESS
A FLEETING BUT EXCITING EPOCH IN THE
WINNING OF THE WEST
________________
ERECTED APRIL 4th 1963
by HARRAH'S
WILLIAM F. HARRAH, PRESIDENT
______________________
THE 1st PONY EXPRESS RIDER PASSED HERE
APRIL 4th 1860 ON HIS WAY TO
FRIDAY'S STATION
A REMOUNT POINT 4/10ths OF A MILE NORTHEAST
AT EDGEWOOD, NEVADA
A web link highlighting this monument tells us:
The Pony Express statue in front of Harrah's Casino, Stateline, Nevada, commemorates the site of Friday's Station which was located about a mile east. To commemorate the Pony Express and its intrepid riders, Harrah's commissioned a statue by sculptor Dr. Avard Fairbanks. It was designed with Sierra Nevada history and environment as a theme. This heroic-sized bronze statue of a rider in full gallop was cast in Pietrasanta, Italy, and now stands in a park like setting at the hotel entrance.
The plaque establishes the monument as a National Pony Express Trail Marker and was dedicated on April 4, 1963. The information on the statue plaque concerning Friday's Station was taken from the book, "The Pony Express in Nevada" which is a limited publication, by Harrah's, to help celebrate the nation's Bicentennial in 1976. The closing statement on the Preface page is a charge to present day history buffs and pony riders. '`Now that a part of our heritage has been preserved, we all must share the responsibility of preserving the trail and station sites for future generations to enjoy and treasure." Bill Harrah would have been pleased to see the designation of the Pony Express Trail as a National Historic Trail.
Dr. Fairbanks also designed the Pony Express statues near Salt Lake City, Utah, and Casper, Wyoming. ~ source
The other plaque is a centennial plaque that reads:
NATIONAL PONY EXPRESS CENTENNIAL ASSOCIATION
1860-61 - TRAIL MARKER - 1960-61
RUSSELL - MAJORS - WADDELL
FOUNDERS - OWNERS - OPERATORS
PONY EXPRESS