Saint Joseph, MO Summary

Founded as a fur trading post in 1826, St Joseph is a city of 71,900 people, about an hour’s drive north of Kansas City. The town became a major wagon-staging area and supply depot during the Western gold rushes of the mid-1800s. It then secured its place in history when it became the starting point of the legendary Pony Express, which launched its mail service in 1860. Riders spent 10 days in the saddle between St Joseph and Sacramento, California.

St Joseph was also home to the outlaw Jesse James, who was killed in a shootout in 1882. The mark left by the bullet that killed him can be seen inside his restored home. The building is in the grounds of the Patee House Museum, one of the finest hotels west of the Mississippi during the mid-1800s. The museum also houses a re-created Pony Express office and artifacts, among other things relating to the area’s frontier history.

Elsewhere in town is the Pony Express National Memorial, whose exhibits tell the story of the operation.

More area lore, also covering Native American culture and natural history, can be explored at the St Joseph Museum. Bison, longhorn cattle, burros, and other animals roam Krug Park.

One of the town’s more unusual attractions is the Glore Psychiatric Museum of St Joseph State Hospital, which recounts the history of psychiatry.

The area is serviced by buses, and the town has its own airport.