The Pony Express
by A long, long, looong time ago (yes, before airplanes or railroads were invented) three business men shared an idea to create a mail service that was faster and more reliable than stagecoaches or steamboats. The young horse riders would ride through rain, fog, sleet, snow, or even hail.
“Wanted: Young, skinny, wiry fellows not over 18,” read a Pony Express newspaper advertisement. The Pony Express was a cross-country relay that delivered mail on horseback.
The people of California and William M. Gwim, a senator of California, had been complaining about needing a faster and more reliable mail service. Gwim even asked Congress numerous times to get a better service than Butterfield’s stagecoach and the route that he took. Even though his route was only 2,000 miles long, that was short compared to other routes, it was the least used route because people didn’t believe that it could be used year-round.
William Russell, chief promoter of the Pony Express and his two other friends: William B. Waddell and Alexander Majors also helped promote the Pony Express. They all owned a freighting company called COC&PP, which was a huge success. Since they were all very wealthy, this gave them an advantage at starting the project. Russell gave everything into this project; also he, Waddell, and Majors temporarily stopped their large freighting firm to be successful with the Pony Express. Russell’s, Waddell’s, and Majors’ freighting firm ended up losing more than $100,000 on the Pony Express. Their goal was to provide the fastest communication between the east and west coasts. They also wanted to prove that the central route could be used year-round.
Russell, Waddell, and Majors bought about 400 fast horses, engaged about 180 riders, and hired about 400 workers to work at the 190 Pony Express stations. The Express stations were about 10 to 15 miles apart from each other so that the riders could switch to new horses and keep speed. The Pony Express lasted almost two years, from April 3, 1860, to October 24, 1861.
Riders of the Pony Express usually carried a pair of pistols and a knife for protection. They used their pistols only when they really needed them. There was only one rider of the Pony Express that was known to die, and that was by Indians. Riders also carried saddlebags or monchilas to carry the mail in.
The price for the riders to deliver ½ ounce of mail was $5 at the beginning, but towards the end of the Express, the price later fell to $1 for ½ ounce.
The exact route of the Pony Express ran along the Platte River, which is in Nebraska. Then, it went to South Pass and Fort Bridger. They are both in Wyoming now. Next, it turned south to the Great Salt Lake. After that, it turned south a little bit more then turned west to the salt desert. The route later went through the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The Pony Express ran from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California.
The riders all carried monchilas, which hang over the saddle so the rider’s weight holds it in place. The monchilas were also specially designed, each side had a pocket, called a cantina which held the letters. Sometimes the monchila held small packages. The monchilas could hold up to 20 pounds of mail. In St. Joseph, Missouri, there is a Pony Express museum where you could see one.
The Pony Express riders were very brave. They often had to outrun Indians, dodge snowslides, and figure out ways to cross large rivers.
Financially, the Pony Express was a failure. On the other hand, it proved that the central route could be used year-round. It made a trail for the transcontinental railroad across the mountains. It provided the fastest communication until the transcontinental telegraph was completed, and it also provided communication to and from the east and west coasts during the Civil War. From the beginning of the Pony Express to the end, it delivered about 35,000 letters.
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