Change of Riders, Pony Express - 1947

This statue was created in 1947 by Avard T. Fairbanks, Ph.D., first Dean of the School of Fine Arts at University of Utah.  This was the 100th Anniversary of the Mormon Pioneers’ entry into the Salt Lake Valley.  The Pony Express was a brief but instrumental step in moving the mail from coast to coast.  It lasted a total of 18 months, and once the Transcontinental Railway was in place, the Pony Express was no longer necessary. 

Nevertheless, to commemorate the memory of the Pony Express, Avard T. Fairbank created a meaningful statue called “The Change of the Riders.”  Every 100-120 miles, there would be a relay station where the Pony Express Rider could pick up a new mount.  There was always a station caretaker who helped the youthful Pony Express rider.  A large plaster “float” was created on the flatbed trailer with wheels to be displayed in the 24th of July Parade in Salt Lake City.  Of course, before creating the large statue, Professor Fairbanks made small working copies.  It was even visited by Charleston Heston who starred in a motion picture titled “The Pony Express.”  Although the large monument was, unfortunately, destroyed, small statuettes remain with sufficient detail that the statue was replicated to full-size at the Skylight Studios in Woburn, Massachusetts with many of Avard’s sons being involved in the re-sculpting process. 

The statue was eventually cast in bronze and was erected on the grounds of “This is the Place” State Park, close to the west entryway to the park. 

This statue, or working model, is not currently available for purchase.