Medford mail tribune., May 10, 1959, Image 43

The Pony Express Hides Again!
Oregon celebrates its 100th birthday with a big show this
Summer but yesteryear's mail carrier steals the spotlight.
-HESENTLY
the driver exclaims 'Here he
comes!'
"Every neck is stretched and every eye
strained. Away across the endless dead level of
the prairie a black speck appears against the
sky. In a second or two it becomes a horse and
rider, rising and falling, rising and falling
sweeping toward us nearer and nearer growing
more and more distinct. The flutter of the hoofs
comes faintly to ear another instant a whoop
and a hurrah from the upper deck (of our stage
coach), a wave of (our) rider's hand, but no
reply, and man and horse burst past our excited
faces, and go swinging away like a belated
fragment of a storm."
Thus did a Pony Express rider pass the stage
coach of Mark Twain and impress this tough
world traveler as few other pieces of American
romance did. Twain was not the only man to be
awed by the Pony Express. It had a short
official life from 1860 through 1861 but it cap
tured and held the imagination of Americans of
that age and every age to follow.
It's not surprising that Oregon, celebrating its
centennial this year, should revive the Pony
Express as a symbol of a stirring and proud past.
Throughout the state from June 7 until Sept. 17,
volunteers in cowboy garb will sell Pony Ex
press envelopes for $1 apiece, the going price in
1861. These envelopes (plus the modern 4-cent
stamp) will be delivered by some 4,000 riders
any place in Oregon or to rail connections on
the border for delivery outside the state.
The dates for Pony Express service coincide
with those of the centennial exposition and in
ternational trade fair in Portland. The trade
fair will be the state's concession to modern
times, a dazzling display of the finest products of
some two dozen nations. But for the most part,
Oregon will entertain six million guests at its
100th birthday party with a rip-roarin' return
to the romantic past.
In addition to the Pony Express, the exposi
tion will feature an Adventureland where
tourists can shop in a simulated frontier town,
complete with hired guns and no-nonsense
marshals. Chugging, narrow-gauge railroads
will carry guests around the settlement, and a
sawmill of ancient vintage will show how Ore
gon's prize crop, timber, was first readied for
market. From Independence, Mo., a wagon train
will wend its way over the Oregon Trail in time
to join the anniversary fete.
Just to prove that Oregon's present and future
are as fascinating as its past, the state also will
present an atomic energy display, never before
shown, at which visitors will be able to set off
their own chain reactions. And for those who
shy at six-guns and atoms, another 10 acres of
the 65-acre exhibition area will show "The
Garden of Tomorrow," a collection "of newly
developed flowers which soon will be available
to backward horticulturists.
As proud as Oregon is of its centennial
whoop-up, it wants folks to know that the best
show in the state is milleniums old rugged
scenery like the Columbia Gorge, snow-capped
Mount Hood, breathtaking Crater Lake. What
tourist could resist sending home picture-postcards
of these spots by real Pony Express?
I W'&l !
Typical of Oregon scenery is the Columbia
Gorge, here 30 miles from exposition site.
State's centennial fair, shown in artist's
drawing, will feature sports and exhibits.
rfew iv 8
3
Rodeos, an Oregon mainstay, will give
centennial visitors some extra thrills.
Family Weekly, May 10. 1959
11