The Mailman
by Kurt GensheimerThere’s a lot people in the modern world take for granted, like the mail. You send a letter, and a day or two later, the mail arrives to its intended recipient as reliably as the sun rises. Even quicker, emails and texts get sent and received immediately, creating a society of instant gratification.
The days of waiting weeks, or even months, for communication is unheard of in the 21st Century. But there’s still a devoted group of Americans and Nevadans who keep the original form of “express mail” alive and well in the modern world – The Pony Express Re-Riders. The local White Pine County contingent called the Schellbourne Riders are among the few who traverse terrain completely unchanged from the time of the original Pony Express from April 1860 to October 1861.
There may be no other person familiar with one of the most remote stretches of the Pony Express than Tony Zamora, Ride Leader for the Schellbourne Riders. Each year the National Pony Express Association re-rides the 1,966 mile route from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California along the original Pony Express route. And yes, they still carry mail. In fact, the entire re-ride is timed, and the mail must get delivered on time just like in 1860.
The 150-mile stretch from the Utah border to the Diamond Mountains near Eureka is Zamora’s backyard; he knows it better than anyone, having traversed the entire length on foot, mountain bike, and of course, horseback. Zamora is also a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Site Steward, responsible for trail maintenance and signage along the Schellbourne Riders section of the route, helping ensure the path isn’t lost to history.
Zamora grew up on a ranch in Southern Colorado, and after retiring from the Army as First Sergeant, moved to White Pine County in 1995 to be closer to his two daughters, one of which has ridden the Pony Express with him and lives on a ranch.
“This area reminds me a lot of Colorado,” said Zamora. “The pinyons, cedars, doug firs and giant mountains; Ely is a well-kept secret. There aren’t as many rivers and creeks, but there’s plenty of water here if you know where to look.”
Soon after moving to Ely, Zamora discovered the Pony Express re-ride and has been an instrumental part of it ever since. But unlike a lot of other re-riders across the entire 1,966-mile stretch, many of whom just trot along the shoulder of county highways where the route passes through Missouri and Kansas, Zamora and his fellow re-riders are traversing some of the most remote, raw, rugged and original trail riders navigated 160 years ago.
The route crosses five mountain passes along washed out roads, marshland and clay-based soils that turn to paralyzing mud when wet. The eastern Nevada portion is also where the highest elevation on the entire Pony Express trail is attained, at 7,800 feet elevation on Rock Springs Pass.
“We could step out of 2022 and into 1860 and fit right in I believe,” said Zamora, referring to his Schellbourne comrades. “To ride our section, your horse has to be tough and you have to be tough.”
All manner of obstacles can face Zamora and the Schellbourne Riders every second week in June during the re-ride, from weather and terrain to wildlife.
“Wild mustangs can be among the most dangerous,” said Zamora. “I’ve had a stallion charge right at me, and they will chase you for miles.”
Last year’s re-ride involved some harrowing weather.
“We were hookin’ and bookin’ out of Butte Valley and a huge downpour hit us,” said Zamora. “Everything turned to mud. Then a few miles later, dry as a bone. A few miles after that, another storm came. The trails can deteriorate in a minute, with entire valleys flooding with water.”
Because the riders change out horses every five miles, the team has follow vehicles with trailers and more horses. There have been times where the trucks and trailers have been hopelessly stuck in the mud, adding to the complexity of the ride.
Keeping in mind that the entire ride is timed, the 1,966-mile route must be completed in 10 days. Some years the mail is on time and they can enjoy the ride, other years the Schellbourne Riders will receive the mail from the previous team late.
“We always catch up the mail,” said Zamora proudly. “If we have to, we can do the entire 150 mile stretch in as little as 10 hours and get the mail back on time. We can even ride in the dark, as horses have far better night vision than humans.”
The gear Zamora and his riders use are replicas of minimalistic Mclellan saddles and the mochila, a lightweight mail-carrying sack that’s transferred from one rider to the next, a relay race baton of sorts, only with far more significance.
Zamora is a trail whisperer; he has the sixth sense of being able to read terrain and know the path of least resistance. Because wild mustangs and other animals roam everywhere, crisscrossing over the Pony Express route, sometimes the trail can be incredibly confusing to follow, even with the signage that Zamora maintains.
“Animals always choose the easiest way across rugged terrain, and know where the wind breaks are,” said Zamora. “In summer they traverse north facing terrain, in winter south facing. You have to feel the trail, mainly because most of the time the trail will be the easiest path.”
The original Pony Express route was derived from a combination of game trails traversed by Native Americans and early explorers like John C. Fremont and Kit Carson. Much of the terrain remains exactly as it did in 1860, including the trees.
“We ride past the same trees that the original riders rode past,” said Zamora. “And if you’re religious, you can’t get any closer to the good Lord than when you’re out there carrying the mail.”