Pony Express medallion rides again Friday at Carson City's Nevada State Museum
CARSON CITY — The Pony Express may have had a short life as a mail service in the mid-1800s, but its spirit has long resonated in Nevada.
Most recently, Pony Bob Peak, which is named for Pony Express rider Robert “Pony Bob” Haslam, was so named by the U.S. Board of Geographic Names just last year. Haslam helped build stations on the Pony Express Trial in Nevada and was assigned the 75-mile run from Friday’s Station near the Nevada-California state line to Buckland Station near Fort Churchill.
The Nevada State Museum in Carson City has paid tribute to the Pony Express in various ways through the years, including a Pony Express Centennial Memorial in front of the museum that was refurbished this year.
Now the museum is reissuing the commemorative medallion that recognizes the Pony Express, and will have its inaugural pressing on Friday.
“It’s always been one of our most popular medallions,” said Bob Nylen, curator of history at the Nevada State Museum. “This will be the first time we’ve minted it in our new 30 millimeter (half-dollar) size.”
Minted on the museum’s historic Coin Press No. 1, the medallion is features a Pony Express rider and an outline of the State of Nevada.
The minting will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and museum visitors welcome to watch and get a history lesson about the coin press in the process. Visitors can also purchase a pure silver blank in the museum’s store for $60 and have it pressed with the Pony Express image.
Admission to the Nevada State Museum is $8 for adults; free for museum members and children 17 and younger.
— Guy Clifton is a Public Information Specialist for the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs Museums, Arts and Indian news. He can be reached at gclifton@travelnevada.com.
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