The Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad Locomotive, Patee Park, Saint Joseph, Missouri

When you think about the city of Saint Joseph in the U.S. state of Missouri, you think about the Pony Express.  When you visit the city, you can see the statue of a Pony Express rider and visit the Pony Express Museum.  It was the eastern end of the famed messenger route that carried mail west from Saint Joseph to points west of the Missouri River.  Situated between Omaha, Nebraska and Kansas City, Missouri, it is a small city with many museums and historic sites to include the home where the famed outlaw Jesse James was shot.  Even if you are a big city person, Saint Joseph has so much to offer.

Now some of you are saying, “This is nice to know about Saint Joseph, Missouri.  I have never heard of the city before.  However, unless there is something about trains, I have no interest in this city.”

As mentioned, Saint Joseph was the eastern terminus of the Pony Express.  The reason for the Pony Express: the railroad went no further west that the city of Saint Joseph.  It was not until after the American Civil War that the railroad was built across the Missouri River into the western frontier.

That is not all.

Being one of the main cities of the Pony Express, it is also the home to the Pony Express Museum.  Across the street is Patee Park, a park that marks the starting point of the Pony Express.  In this park is where you will find a Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q) steam locomotive.  The locomotive operated on the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad until it was retired in September of 1957, and it was donated to the city in April of 1962 by the Burlington Northern Railroad.  During its heyday, it was used for freight and for passenger service.  Today, it rests in this park to mark the contribution that the railroad made to the Pony Express.

Patee Park is located at 10^th Street and Penn Street in Saint Joseph, Missouri across the street from the Pony Express Museum.  The park is accessible day and night.  While here, visit the other many sites that this small city has to offer.