Run, Pony, Run - Pony Express
“Away across the endless prairie a black speck appears against the sky. It is plain that it moves. Well, I should think so! ” wrote Mark Twain in 1860 as a stagecoach traveler. “In a second or two it becomes a horse and rider, rising and falling, rising and falling – sweeping toward us nearer and nearer. The flutter of hoofs comes faintly to the ear – another instant a whoop and a hurrah from our upper deck, a wave of the rider’s hand. Man and horse burst past our excited faces and go winging away like a belated fragment of a storm!” Of all the “wild west” tales entrenched in the minds of Americans, none is more romantic or enduring than the 19-month existence of the “Pony Express.” In 1860, the United States was that mostly in name. The eastern third -- from the Atlantic Coast to the Mississippi River -- was the political and commercial heartland with railroads and telegraph lines. California on the west coast was more like a colony than an integral state of the union. Between the two parts was 1,900 miles of desolate prairie and formidable mountains dotted by isolated cattle ranches, Mormon farms, Indian villages and mining camps. Connecting the disparate parts was the Butterfield Overland Freight and Stage Company. By a series of stage runs, via Texas, Butterfield could deliver passengers and mail to San Francisco in three weeks. With civil war pending, and manufactured products urgently needed, Californians lobbied strenuously for timely telegraph and railroad connection to the rest of the country. This was the background as William H. Russell roamed the halls of congress seeking government contracts for his wagon-freighting operation: Russell, Majors & Waddell. A recent expansion of stagecoach service to Colorado had overburdened his company financially. California Senator William Gwin was anxious to speed up communication and transportation for his state. Westward extension of the telegraph and railroad had been encouraged for years but with no result. Sen. Gwin hinted that Russell might be able to win away the $600,000 mail subsidy from Butterfield if Russell’s company could substantially shorten the existing three-week mail delay. Russell set out to demonstrate he could cut the mail delivery time to 10 days with a “pony express.” He and his partners gambled they could win government freighting contracts before a transcontinental telegraph line was built. The company already operated a freight and coach line to Salt Lake City. However, many more stations, riders, horses and equipment would have to be assembled within 60 days – and all would have to mesh perfectly – in order to meet a deadline set by Sen. Gwin. To find the riders, Russell placed advertisements in western newspapers: “WANTED – Young, skinny, wiry fellows not over 19. Must be expert riders willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred.” From the many applicants, Russell hired 80, non weighing more than 130 pounds. Each young man was required to take an oath to refrain from profane language, drunkenness, gambling, mistreating his mounts or interfering with the rights of Indians. In the next few months, Russell hired an additional 40 riders as experience indicated arduous routes had to be shortened. The pay was $125 a month plus bed and board – equivalent to about $30,000 a year in today’s currency – and a fabulous salary for horsemen of that day. For his riders, Russell purchased 500 small, tough mustangs at an average price of $200 each. This was four times the price of an ordinary riding horse, but the mounts chosen had to have extraordinary endurance. The “dash” horses were branded XP (for express pony) on their right flanks. They were fed grain freighted in at great expense. Grain-fed horses had greater speed and endurance than grass fed animals such as those of Indians. Barrels of water also were shipped to stations that did not have a well or access to a stream. The route from St. Joseph, Missouri, to San Francisco, was established with 157 stations divided into five divisions. Each division “home” shelter had a superintendent, bunks, a cook, supplies and extra horses. In between division stations there were “relay” stations consisting of two men and two horses. Riders rode from home station to home station. The distance varied from 40 to a 100 miles or so -- depending on terrain. At each relay station – 7 to 20 miles apart -- two attendants had not more than two minutes to transfer the light-weight saddle and four, built-in mail pouches to a fresh mount. Meanwhile, the rider gulped a cup of black coffee and a few bites of a meat sandwich while stamping stiffness from his legs. The system was reset by return mail from San Francisco. Mail to San Francisco was dispatched from New York City at 4 p.m. Tuesdays, and 2:30 p.m. Saturdays. The first leg was an eight-hour train trip to St. Joseph, Missouri. There, the Pony Express began its 10-day dash to California. At first, the mail charge was $5 per half ounce – a steep price for those days. After a couple of months, the charge was reduced to $1. This increased volume but reduced income. The Pony Express lost money throughout its short existence. Hostile Indians In addition to the hardships, Express riders had to run a gauntlet of hostile Paiute Indians in Nevada. At first, riders carried a rifle and pistol for defense. However, rifles were given up as adding too much weight. According to Dee Brown in American History Illustrated, “The records of casualties among riders are incomplete. “The name of Burt Riles was listed in a frontier newspaper as having died of wounds at the Cold Spring Station during the Paiute uprising. Other early accounts tell of an unnamed rider who was killed and scalped along the Platte River, though his horse escaped and ran on to the next station with the mail pouches intact. “In Nevada, seven stations were burned by Paiutes. The number of station- keepers recorded as killed varies from seven to sixteen. Yet, during the 19 months the Pony Express operated, only one mail pouch was lost – and that to Indian disturbance.” The time from St. Joseph to San Francisco varied from 10 to 11 days. However, Lincoln’s inaugural was delivered in seven days and 17 hours. News of the firing on Fort Sumter that started the Civil War was carried west in eight days and 14 hours. Pony Express riders were instant celebrities. Johnny Frey received a brass-band send off from St. Joseph with the first pouch. Two that became most famous were Robert “Pony Bob” Haslam and William Cody. The latter became better known as “Buffalo Bill” – star of a Wild West” road show. Pony Bob set the record for endurance with a series of rides during the Washoe County War. Indians had killed one station keeper and stole the horses there and others in the division. He rode into his home station after covering 384 miles on horseback in 36 hours. Bankruptcy Unfortunately, the splendid and brave performance of the Pony Express came to naught. Two months after the Pony Express started, Congress appropriated funds to build a telegraph line to California. Under the impact of war necessity, the line was completed Oct. 24, 1861 – eight months ahead of schedule. Russell, Majors and Waddell declared bankruptcy, having lost their race with progress – as did its rival, Butterfield Overland. The Sacramento Bee newspaper noted the demise of the Pony Express with nostalgia: “Our little friend, the Pony, is to run no more. Farewell and forever, thou staunch, wilderness-overcoming, swift-footed messenger. Thou were the pioneer of a continent in the rapid transmission of intelligence between its people, and have dragged in your train the lightning itself. Rest upon your honors, be satisfied with them, your destiny has been fulfilled.” May 12, 2002 Lindsey Williams is a Sun columnist who can be contacted at: LinWms@earthlink.net LinWms@lindseywilliams.org Website: www.lindseywilliams.org with several hundred of Lin's Editorial & At Large articles written over 40 years. Also featured in its entirety is Lin's groundbreaking book "Boldly Onward," that critically analyzes and develops theories about the original Spanish explorers of America. (fully indexed/searchable) |
Other Sport Betting Articles
Casino Sportsbook With the continuing growth in the popularity of sport betting many people are looking for a good casino sportsbook where they can do their betting. There are many to choose from but if you want to find the best casino sportsbook you need to know what to look for. Probably the most important factor is the reputation of the casino sportsbook. ...Championship Season Preview 2006/07 - Southend United Southend UnitedOdds: 200/1Last Five Seasons2005/06 - 1 (League One, Promoted), 2004/05 - 4 (League Two, Promoted), 2003/04 - 17 (League Two), 2002/03 - 17 (League Two), 2001/02 - 12 (League Two).2005/06 Cup ProgressFA Cup Second Round vs MK Dons (h) - lost 2-1. Carling Cup First Round vs Southampton (h) - lost ...The Tragedy of Hillsborough It seems that the United Kingdom has had numerous problems with their soccer games in the past few years. The causes are insufficient security, and the lack of crowd/riot control. Also contributing to these factors are the poor design of the grounds and administrative incompetence. All of these contributed to the Hillsborough Stadium Disaster. ...League One Season Preview 2006/07 - Yeovil Town Yeovil TownOdds: 66/1Last Five Seasons 2005/06 - 15 (League One), 2004/05 - 1 (League Two, Promoted), 2003/04 - 8 (League Two), 2002/03 - 1 (Conference, Promoted), 2001/02 - 3 (Conference).2005/06 Cup Progress FA Cup Second Round vs Walsall (a) - lost 2-0. Carling Cup Second Round vs Millwall (h) - lost 2-0. ...World Cup 2006 Preview - Togo Outright Odds: 500/1 Group G Winners: 16/1First-time World Cup qualification for the tiny west African nation was such a great achievement the country’s president declared a national holiday to celebrate.Togo had never come close to qualifying before until they embarked on the history making campaign which saw them secure a pla ...English Rugby - Back on Track ? The 2004/5 season was a bad year for English international rugby. Those heady days of 2003 down under and Jonny Wilkinson’s last minute drop goal seemed a long way away as Wales completed a marvellous year by beating us 11-9 in the final match of the six nations.It started well enough, business as usual in a 70-0 walloping of the Canadian ...Hottest Soccer Transfer News: Crespo Sealed Inter Deal Crespo Sealed Inter DealFinally the inevitable happened, Crespo heart is in Italy and he is going back to the birth place of two of his daughters, Milan. But this time it is not the Rossoneries but the blue and black of Inter Milan. Before also Crespo talked about his affinities with Italy and now after a week being the Italian cit ...Soccer Coaches Plan, a Basic Introduction to the Season This guidelne uses a British Columbia (Canada) model. The first month is the month before your team plays in its usual league format.Each practice will have three (3) main componentsFitnessTechnical skillsTeam organization ...Horse Racing Betting, The Risk Free Way You may or may not of heard of all this talk about been a change to horse racing betting where you can bet on horse races risk free.Yes that’s right, Risk Free!Now this isn’t some bogus system that gives you one horse that is guaranteed to win, it isn’t even like normal gambling. It’s more like trading as you are betting on more th ...League One Season Preview 2006/07 - Northampton Town Northampton TownOdds: 33/1Last Five Seasons 2005/06 - 2 (League Two, Promoted), 2004/05 - 7 (League Two), 2003/04 - 6 (League Two), 2002/03 - 24 (League One - Relegated), 2001/02 - 20 (League One).2005/06 Cup Progress FA Cup Third Round vs Crystal Palace (a) - lost 4-1. Carling Cup Second Round vs Norwich City (a ...We All Won With the World Baseball Classic The World Baseball Classic proved all of us that were at the expectation that it can be a true spectacle. Japan defeated Cuba with a 10-6, in the last match of 29 games on Monday in San Diego. But more important than who won and who lost was the launching of the international competition itself.I think we can say that this was really a wo ...Championship Betting Review - 7 August 2006 Burnley are the early pace setters after defeating Queens Park Rangers 2-0. New signing Steve Jones scored a brace after 59 and 69 minutes for the even money Clarets.Even though the influential Steve Howard and Kevin Nicholls moved elsewhere during the summer, Luton Town won their opening match against Leicester City. Leon Barnett broke ...Soccer Goalkeeper's Skill, Techniques and Goalie Training Soccer Goalkeeper training is a world of its own. Since it is the only position on the field that allows the ball to be touched by the hands and arms. The individual soccer goalie skills gives an advantage over all the other players on the field. This makes training goalkeepers for soccer not only unique but challenging. ...All About Floor Hockey It's pretty tough to find a game that is more fun than floor hockey, in large part because it's a fast-paced, exciting sport that can be played by individuals of all ages and skill sets. Another great thing about floor hockey is that it can be played virtually anywhere. Unlike many other sports, it is a necessary to have specialized fields or e ...Major League Baseball's Interleague Play Draws Record Crowds For some reason or another, Major League Baseball seems to have a very bias fan base. For big games such as Boston vs. New York Yankees the crowd is always huge, yet when there is an interleague game such as the White Sox vs. Cubs there is a severe drop in the numbers.Well now that the first weekend of interleague game play is under the ...The Three Vital Ministries of the Average Christian Every Christian should be involved in some form of ministry. Many believers especially those new to the faith, believe personal ministry is beyond their abilities. Please understand I am not saying that every Christian should pastor a church, or other large ministry. However much of the work of the church has been done, and should be done by wha ...Horse Racing Tips Over the thirty years that I've been betting on horses, I have paid for horse racing tips, or information from a variety of sources.My first purchase was a booklet called Fineform, which was heavily advertised in the racing newspapers. The system that it promoted was simple to use and bets could be found quickly. In those days I had no id ...Ideas for Football (a.k.a. Soccer) The 2006 FIFA World Cup is upon us; it's all over the radio, the television, and the newspapers. Everywhere you go, everyone seems to have a soccer t-shirt - some even have the matching shorts! Now soccer is an actual sport; there are two teams, a ball, two nets, and involves dribbling, passing, shooting and some pretty neat tricks (just like ...Free Online Card Games -- Getting Ready for Las Vegas Free online card games that can be played over the Internet are great for practice to increase your skills or to just have fun with. Being able to take advantage of playing free card games on your computer like poker and video poker can even prepare you for making cash in the future.Poker is becoming a popular choice of what people are pl ...Stag Weekend in Budapest - the Thrill of Horse Racing Budapest, with its perfect blend of eastern and western cultures, is the best locale for a stag weekend. Referred to as the “Paris of the East”, this stag weekend venue will provide you with all that you can ask for - beautiful landscapes and undulating hills on one side, and shops, restaurants, markets and exciting nightlife on the other. The P ...World Cup Goalkeepers - Jean-Jacques Tizie Jean-Jacques Tizié started his career as a handball goalkeeper. But he later developed interest in football and started playing for local clubs. Among the major clubs that he played for were Lazer FC, Africa Sport and Stade d'Abidjan. In 2001, he moved to Espérance in Tunisia, and has been their goalkeeper ever since.The 1.83 meters tall ...A Bad Night in Vegas: A Boxing Story His name was Javier Ayala and he was from Los Angeles by way of Tijuana. He had once gone ten rounds with the great Roberto Duran in 1973 in Los Angeles and also went the distance with Leroy Haley. But on this night at the Silver Slipper in Las Vegas, his main event opponent was Bruce Finch whose claim to fame would be that after his 3rd round T ...
| 