Pony Express National Museum Carries Communication to the Next Generation
** St. Joseph, Missouri. January 19, 2010 ** The Pony Express Museum in St. Joseph, Missouri, is carrying communication and interaction to the next generation in various cities along the Pony Express Trail. To honor the 150th Sesquicentennial of the Pony Express, the Pen Pal Friendly Letter Writing project will a friendly letter-writing project will encourage classes in the 4th grade from St. Joseph, Missouri public and private schools to be paired with classrooms of comparable size along the Pony Express Trail. Letters will exchange first hand experience from the Eastern Terminus (St. Joseph, MO) with classrooms near the relay stations that span the 1,966 mile trip made by the original riders.
The Pen Pal Friendly Letter Wriring project will employ the first method of communication and skills-letter writing; and then branch into modern advances such as electronic mail, or e-mail, and web or video conferencing between the classes as available. Two letters will be exchanged between classrooms via traditional postal mail. Teachers will have access to online curriculum and unit studies about the Pony Express, its 150th Birthday, and a letter writing rubric used by the St. Joseph School District.
Students from St. Joseph, Missouri, have a ready resource of information and hands-on experiences from their hometown to share with their contemporaries at the relay locations along the Trail to Sacramento, California. As well, classrooms at the relay stations can share information back through letter writing and other methods to give a realistic picture of what the riders could have endured.
Local businessman, M. Karl Goetz, believed in preserving the "legacy and the legend" and his family has sustained that tradition into today. By purchasing the stables in 1950, Mr. Goetz enabled the Pony Express National Museum to open its doors in 1959. A large expansion doubled the size of the museum in 1993, and a community room was constructed since then to add space for educational events, tours, and community enrichment. The area continues to support the museum through various fundraisers.
Mr. Goetz and his family have devoted themselves to the "legacy" by lending their support and service. Mr. Goetz's daughter, Mignon Goetz-DeShon continues to serve on the Board of Trustees.
The Pony Express National Museum was the forerunner to provide communication along a treacherous trail leaving guideposts for generations to follow. The legacy remains strong that was exampled by the character of the riders, those that had a vision to preserve the heritage, and the countless individuals that volunteer their time and talents to share and preserve the legend of the Pony Express today.
