Pony Express honored with special medallion Saturday in Carson City

A special medallion honoring the Old West Pony Express mail route will be stamped on historical Coin Press No. 1 Saturday at the Nevada State Museum in Carson City. Medallions will be minted from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Pony Express, in operation from April 1860 to October 1861, used horse-mounted riders to deliver mail and newspapers between Missouri and California, with the route cutting through the center of Nevada, roughly parallel to the U.S. 50. Although short-lived, the Pony Express captured the public imagination, and has been referred to and remembered in books, film and television.

The Pony Express medallion, depicting a horse and rider, will be minted on Coin Press No. 1, which served the Carson City Mint, in operation from 1870 and 1893. The original mint building now is incorporated into the Nevada State Museum facility. Visitors can purchase the .999 fine silver commemorative medallions and watch as it is minted during the event.

Museum admission is required at $8 adults and free for children ages 17 and younger. Other exhibits include “Nevada’s Changing Earth,” a display of more than 300 rocks and minerals from Nevada and the western United States, and “Nevada: a People and Place Through Time,” a walk through the state’s history.

All visitors, volunteers and staff must wear a face covering while in the museum and maintain 6 feet of distance from others. Acrylic barriers are in place at the admissions desk, the store and in the coin press gallery to protect visitors. The museum is allowing visitors up to half its normal capacity to insure social distancing.

For more, visit www.carsonnvmuseum.org.