CASPER, Wyo. - Get ready for an action-packed weekend at the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center as the Pony Express takes center stage on Saturday, followed by a captivating presentation on the historic Wagon Box Fight on Sunday.
Twenty years after the first emigrants crossed the pioneer trails across the continent, the Pony Express thundered along much of the same route. While the Pony Express provided a relatively quick mail service from Missouri to California, this sensational but expensive enterprise was soon replaced by the Transcontinental Telegraph.
At 1 p.m. on Aug. 12, National Pony Express Association members will be at the Trails Center to highlight the history of the Pony Express and re-enact a handoff of the mochila, the iconic leather pouch which secured their mail. The program will take place outside on the Trails Center grounds near the Pony Express cabin and is expected to last 30-45 minutes.
Make sure to arrive early on Saturday and bring your kids to this weekend’s youth program, “Frontier Medicine." At 11 a.m., participants will learn about many of the common cures used to doctor pioneers and Pony Express riders in this hands-on program.
The following day, the Trails Center welcomes back local historian and former Trails Center interpreter, Kylie McCormick, for a special presentation on one of Wyoming’s most noteworthy battles. McCormick will present “Marking the Wagon Box Fight" at 1 p.m. on Aug. 13.
Nearly fifty years after the Wagon Box Fight took place near modern-day Story, Wyo., an effort to mark its location began. Under the leadership of Grace Raymond Hebard and H.G. Nickerson, Wyoming’s Oregon Trail Commission expanded its mission to mark historic locations, including the battle sites of Red Cloud’s War. Join us Sunday to learn more about this historic battle, testimonies of survivors, and visits that helped to mark its location decades later.
Events Schedule
* August 12 at 11 a.m.: Frontier Medicine (Youth Event)
Learn about the common cures of the mid-1800s with this hands-on “pioneer hospital."
* August 12 at 1 p.m.: The Pony Express
featuring National Pony Express Association Members.
* August 13 at 1 p.m.: Marking the Wagon Box Fight
with historian Kylie McCormick.
Interested in upcoming programs at the Trails Center? Visit the Trails Center’s website at https://www.blm.gov/learn/interpretive-centers/national-historic-trails-interpretive-center or follow BLM Wyoming on Facebook or Twitter. For more information, call the Trails Center at 307-261-7700.
The National Historic Trails Interpretive Center is open 7 days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. MST.
1501 N Poplar St., Casper, WY 82601.
Admission is Free
Source: Bureau of Land Management