Riders To Pass Through Sidney By Jessica Kaiser jkaiser@suntelegraph.com SIDNEY - Rugged terrain and sweltering heat were not enough to keep Pony Express riders from their 1,966-mile destination. From April of 1860 to November of 1861 the Pony Express provided the first American mail delivery service in the U.S. Beginning in St. Joseph, Mo., June 9 and ending in Sacramento, Calif., June 19, the 10-day, 24-hour event commemorates the 149th anniversary of the Pony Express. This Old West legacy will gallop through Sidney on June 12 at 4 a.m. as carriers reenact the Pony Express ride. However, riders will not stop in Sidney this year because they will arrive before dawn. A carrier will come from Chappell, pass through Sidney at the Highway 385 junction and head north to Bridgeport at approximately 4 a.m. Pony Express Trail captain Doug Cape of Dalton said this year riders will approach Sidney in the dark. “There are 67 miles on our portion of the trail,” Cape said. “We have 15 riders this year.” Cape said he got involved about 15 years ago because he grew up north of Dalton on the original Pony Express Station located at Mud Springs. In fact, Cape’s family has had a long-standing tradition of participating in the ride. He said his father was the one who introduced the idea to the family. This year seven Cape family members will participate in the ride. More than 500 riders nationwide will cover about 2,000 miles of trail in 10 days. “We are riding as close to the original trail as possible,” State President of the Nebraska division of the Pony Express Lyle Gronewold said. Riders on the local part of the trail will ride about two miles and trade off with another rider. “The horses just aren’t used to it,” he said. “They have been out to pasture.” Gronewold said the Pony Express reenactment keeps history alive. “This is part of what kept the nation together prior to the Civil War,” he said. “This keeps the trail marked and helps educate the young.” The National Pony Express Association - sponsored event celebrates the 1,966-mile trail from California through Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas to Missouri. The riders will relay a mochila - a leather square with four pockets sewn in each corner - designed for the riders to relay them horse to horse over eight states. The modern-day mochila even has a GPS located in it to track the location of the rider 24 hours a day. Riding the local portion of the Pony Express route are Doug, Scott, Sharyn and Mark Cape, Terri and Carrie Hoskins, Jennie Willey, Carri Stewart, Jackie Miller, Cynthia Lojek, Bob Rodgers, Everett Loomis, Weston McConnell and Augie Buorklun. Next year will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Pony Express. Cape said he is excited about next year’s ride. To celebrate its anniversary, Cabela’s has offered a part of their property north of the gazebo at the retail store as a location for a monument dedicated to the Pony Express. In typical Old West fashion, the monument will be in the shape of a horseshoe. For more information on participating in the re-ride contact Doug Cape at 308-249-5887.