Pony Express monument dedicated

            Metal silhouette of rider overlooks Mound House

                              Click to Enlarge

                        Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal Larry McPherson, with the 
                        National Pony Express Association, Nevada Division, 
                        right, thanks metal artist Bill Muerle on Thursday 
                        following a dedication ceremony for the new Pony Express 
                        monument in Mound House. Muerle created the monument and 
                        Dayton developer Phil Cowee, left center, agreed to 
                        allow organizers to erect it on his property. Terry 
                        Bunkowski, center, also attended the ceremony.

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            Karen Woodmansee
            Appeal Staff Writer, kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com
            June 29, 2007

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            Larry McPherson's dream of a monument to the Pony Express riders of 
            the 1860s has finally come to fruition with the dedication Thursday 
            high on a Mound House hill.

            The monument, a 10-by-10-foot metal silhouette of a mounted Pony 
            Express rider heading east on the return route, overlooks Highway 50 
            near the Carson Highlands storage units. In addition to being 
            visible to Highway 50 travelers, it will also be seen by V&T 
            passengers when the train makes it to Carson City.

            McPherson, a Lyon County commissioner, said he had the rider 
            pointing east rather than west because, since western Nevada was 
            close to the westernmost point of the Express route, the rider 
            heading east from Sacramento would have arrived at that point sooner 
            than the rider headed west from St. Joseph, Mo.

            "This has been a dream of mine to keep history alive for the Pony 
            Express with this silhouette, as well as the reride," he said.

                  Click to Enlarge

                  Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal Metal artist Bill Muerle, left, 
                  and Pony Express member Steve Notterman unveil the new Pony 
                  Express monument Thursday in Mound House.

                  Browse and Buy Nevada Appeal Photos 
            The National Pony Express Association, of which McPherson is a past 
            president of the Nevada Division, held its annual reride last week. 
            It re-enacts the ride from St. Joseph, Mo., to Sacramento every 
            year. The Pony Express lasted from April of 1860 to October 1861. 
            This year marked the 147th anniversary of the Express.

            The original route did parallel Highway 50 through the Dayton Valley 
            to Carson City, said State Archivist Guy Rocha, who attended the 
            dedication.

            "This has been documented as the general route of the Pony Express," 
            he said. "This was an opening of where one would come out of Dayton 
            Valley, go over the rise we know as Mound House, and drop into the 
            Eagle Valley."

            Of course, it didn't look the same in the 1860s.

            "The challenge to get into Carson City was that the water table was 
            very high," he said. "They had to follow the contour of the hills to 
            get in, rather than go straight through. It wasn't always the most 
            direct way, but it was a way to go without horses slogging through 
            the marsh. There was a lot of marshland then."

            The idea for the silhouette came into being three years ago when 
            McPherson went on a trip to Marysville, Kan., where a similar 
            silhouette greets visitors on the east and west entrances to the 
            city, and wanted one like it for Nevada.

            "It took awhile to find something that could withstand the wind," he 
            said.

            The silhouette was created by artist Bill Muerle, of Carson Valley, 
            who donated his time. Muerle, who owns Decorative Iron Plus, 
            frequently does cowboy and cowgirl silhouettes, though usually not 
            that big.

            He said it took him two months to make the Pony Express monument.

            "The nice part is I always thought of doing something of this 
            magnitude, this size, for the accomplishment and the recognition," 
            he said.

            Though he donated his talent and labor, Muerle said had he charged 
            for his work the bill would have come to about $3,500, in addition 
            to the $2,700 in materials.

            The placement of the monument was a team effort; in addition to 
            McPherson and Muerle, Capital City Concrete donated concrete for the 
            base, DIS Backhoe dug the hole, workers at Miles Construction stored 
            it and hauled it to the location. Developer Phil Cowee, of Dayton, 
            donated the land.

            It was painted by Paul Webster and his son, Tom. Paul Webster told 
            McPherson the paint job should last 20 or 30 years, but couldn't 
            guarantee the silhouette would be respected by area birds.

            • Contact reporter Karen Woodmansee at kwoodmansee@nevadaappeal.com 
            or 882-2111 ext. 351.

            On the Net

            www.nevadaponyexpress.org

            www.decorativeironplus.com

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