St. Joseph is blessed with a rich history. Outlaw legend Jesse James died here. The Pony Express started here. Thousands of settlers set off from our city on a great adventure that grew a nation.

St. Joseph continues to cash in on that great legacy as thousands of tourists now stop by to taste a slice of our amazing past. They are rewarded with an impressive range of museums.

What is that worth? The Pony Express National Museum, for example, has been virtually re-born since it became an independent institution 15 years ago. In that time, more than a half-million visitors have stopped in to learn about this special chapter in the nation’s Wild West history.

But taking care of our historic treasures takes money. That is especially true for the Pony Express Museum, which will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2010. Its board already has raised $100,000 from local trusts and other benefactors.

The board now wants to raise another $200,000 from the community to prepare the museum for its special anniversary. They have big plans for the money, starting with the addition of a one-room, log-cabin schoolhouse that will be opened on the southwest corner of the museum’s property at Ninth Street and Mitchell Avenue.

Remodeling the stables will enable the board to turn the museum’s blacksmith and wheelwright shops into living history lessons on how those jobs were actually done. Some of the new money also will be used to revitalize the old Pony Express Motel sign so that it can become a beacon for travelers on Interstate 229 and U.S. Highway 36.

Interested? All you have to do is contact the museum about one-time gifts and multiyear pledges by calling Cindy Daffron, director of development for the museum, at 279-5050.

St. Joseph’s unique heritage is a treasure that continues to pay dividends for this community. Here is a chance for you to invest in this proven product.