By CATHERINE CORBETT
catherine@du2.byu.edu
LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated a special monument Saturday in honor of the Pony Express at This Is The Place State Park.
'While it lasted only for 18 months, a chapter was written in the history of the West which has never been forgotten entirely and now will be revived in large measure by reason of this remarkable monument,' President Hinckley said.
The monument was presented to the park by the National Pony Express Association and the sons of Avard T. Fairbanks, creator of the statue depicting a pony express rider exchange.
The idea to get this special 9-foot bronze monument in the park has been in planning for five years, said Pat Hearty, a past president of the National Pony Express Association.
The dedication ceremonies included speakers from the Fairbanks family, reading of the Pony Express Oath, unveiling of the monument, acceptance of the monument by Gov. Michael Leavitt and remarks by President Hinckley.
According to information provided by This Is The Place State Park, the original sculpture was made in white plaster in 1947, the centennial year of the Utah Pioneers, as a Pioneer Day Parade Float. Fairbanks was unable to finish the sculpture in his lifetime, but Fairbanks' sons, particularly Justin Fairbanks, worked for many years to finish the original design.
'To me it is significant, not just that they carried the mail, but that they were willing to be connected, connected to their family and their heritage, connected to their country and to their God,' Leavitt said.
Leavitt spoke of the change that has occurred in the speed of communication.
'I recognize that in less than five seconds using modern telecommunications, we can transfer the equivalent of the Library of Congress from Washington to Sacramento, but it is still that same determination to be connected that stands at the heart of this progress,' he said.
Leavitt said the monument will stand as a symbol of continued dedication to stay connected to families, heritage, country and God.
The Pony Express went from 1860-1861. Mail which was carried in leather sacks, called a 'mochilla,' took 10 days to get from St. Joseph, Mo., to San Francisco. It came through Emigration Canyon and stopped in downtown Salt Lake City, said Joseph Hatch, member of the Utah Division of the National Pony Express Association.
'I don't think there was any junk mail carried by the Pony Express,' President Hinckley said.
President Hinckley praised the courage of the riders who served 'day and night, sunshine and storm.' He said the mail was carried on the fastest and best horses available. 'Many of the pony express riders were Utah boys,' President Hinckley said.
According to information provided by the Bureau of Land Management, the Pony Express became obsolete by the telegraph system.
Also in attendance at the dedication were Sen. Robert Bennett; Congressman Chris Cannon whose wife, Claudia, is related to the Fairbanks; Elder M. Russell Ballard, former member of the Utah Statehood Centennial Commission; and many members of the Fairbanks family. Many descendants of original Pony Express riders were in the audience.