Return to Map

St. Joseph, Missouri

Saint Joseph, Missouri, in 1860, was a thriving city based on commerce and supplying pioneers heading west. It nestled on a bend of the mighty Missouri River, separating it from Kansas, the United States from the then wild interior territories. It was was a door to The West, a place where you could step from civilization to the unknown. It was here, the telegraph and railroad ended; from here, communications from New York and Washington, had to be carried by man and horse.

The Patee House was, when it opened in 1858, one of the finest hotels west of the Missisippi and was the headquarters of the Pony Express mail offices. Today, The Patee House Museum contains a wealth of information and exhibits, including the recontstructed Pony Express mail office and a car of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad.

The Pony Express National Museum was once the site of the Pikes Peak Stables, where Pony Express ponies were kept before taking mail onward from The Patee House. Today, the the museum houses several immersive exhibits on the history of the Pony Express, and St. Joseph during the eighteen months that the Pony Express operated.

While in St. Joe, our team enjoyed these local establishments:

  • J C Wyatt House - amazing meals in a beautiful historic mansion
  • Hi Ho - a local favorite Irish pub
  • Foster's - St. Joseph's premier martini bar
  • Fuji's Steakhouse - when we had a hankerin' for sushi
  • Boudreaux - great cajun in the center of old St. Joe downtown
  • Stoney Creek Inn - will transport you to a warm, cozy state of mind
  • Hoof and Horn - one of St. Joe's oldest and best steak joints
  • Also check out Cafe Accoustic, The Fredrick Inn, and Norty's

MORE INFO:  

Visit the St. Joseph Convention and Visitor's Bureau  

The St. Joe News Press, the local news rag! 

The Patee House Museum, home of the original Pony Express mail room

Visit the Pony Express National Museum, the original Pikes Peak Stables

Also explore the St. Joseph Museum, home to much of St. Joseph's artifacts and history

See photos of the Sesquicentennial here!

See the National Pony Express Association deliver the mail to Saint Joseph after their long trek from Sacramento.