17 Days, 17 Hours
Chasing History Along the Pony Express Trail
Adventure!
Spanning from modern-day St. Joseph, MO to Sacramento, CA, the Pony Express Route was used to carry important documents to the West. Though the Pony Express only operated for 18 months, the men who rode their horses and risked their lives along the route became legendary participants in the American experiment.
In March of 1861, a rider dashed westward out of Fort Kearny, Nebraska Territory, embarking upon a feat that was unrivaled at the time. Carrying Abraham Lincoln's inaugural address, riders sped along the route, over snow-covered trails, and into Fort Churchill, Nevada Territory, setting a record time for the route on horseback—seven days and 17 hours.
To commemorate this historic journey, the ALT Project set forth to retrace the original Pony Express Route on two adventure class motorcycles. This is the story of that journey—the vastness of our nation and the kindness of its people—all while attempting to keep pace with the record time set on horseback in 1861.
HONORS
Telly Award - Non-Broadcast Entertainment (2010)
Telly Award - Non-Broadcast Low Budget (2010)
Telly Award - People’s Telly (2010)
Premiered at the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum in Washington, D.C.