The Knight Museum & Sandhills Center’s Heritage Seekers will host Gordy Wilkins telling the story of the Pony Express, on Thursday, April 19 at 6:30 p.m. at the Museum. Wilkins, an Alliance High School Alumni, Class of 1966 and now a resident of Lodgepole, is the consummate historian. His love of history has spurred him to become a valuable resource of panhandle knowledge.

One of Gordy’s interests is the Pony Express, which operated from April 1860 to November 1861. It originated as the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company, a Missouri-based freighting business that established more than 150 Pony Express stations roughly 10 miles apart between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Old Sacramento, California. The company used established towns and forts in some areas and built remote stations where needed. The mail moved day and night, with riders covering 75 to 100 miles per relay.

Wilkins’ interest in the Pony Express grew from a meeting at the Lodgepole Depot Museum in 2007, when California historian Joe Nardone gave a program on Nebraska’s part in the Pony Express history. His further research has yielded more insight into what part the Pony Express played in our Western Nebraska story.  This will be an exciting glimpse into how the west was settled and how it affects us today.

For more information, please contact the Knight Museum and Sandhills Center at (308) 762-2384.