ANNIVERSARY OF PONY EXPRESS BRINGS MEMORIES OF FRONTIER DAYS j Salt lake City Was Midpoint Between Outposts of East West Link Editors Editor's note Tuesday Is the seventy fourth annIversary of the start of the Pony Express The following is the first of a series of stories by a Telegram staff writer on in Utah its origin accomplishments outstanding fig fig- urns ures and ultimate surrender to the telegraph Other articles will I appear appear dail daily By BOn BOB hALE lIALE Seventy four years ago Tuesday In j two widely separated cities of the frontier a short but romantic and j thrilling chapter in the history or of the 1 conquest of the was awaiting a chronIcler At Salt Lake City midpoint mid mid- p point int between the two outposts there was an atmosphere of expectation tion tinged wIth skepticism The I Pon Pony Express was about to be born Today only a few landmarks the memory of a lone survivor of a daring dar dar- ing contingent of men and scattered historical references are all that remain re re- main to remind another generation of the dangers hardships and finan i cial losses borne by a few pioneers that the new west might sooner be linked to the old east cast j The Pony Express lived only 18 1 months Financially It was a 1 failure j costing its operators an estimated loss of Privately operated ii 11 never enjoyed the financial aid of a j federal government that spent millions mil mu- lions of dollars subsidizing mail l routes 1 that were only half as fast as the j pony It was an expensive venture both in mens men's lives and dollars but butin butin in another way it was a success j Obstacles Overcome It is credited with paving the way J for the first transcontinental telegraph telegraph tele- tele graph and railroad The fact that j riders were able to deliver letters and papers in the face of great obstacles weather Indians and wilderness wilderness- j proved a route could be kept open between between be- be tween St. St Joseph Mo where the telegraph telegraph tele- tele graph ended ende and C California If riders rid rid- ers could make their vay way and station men could live could not wire stringers string string- ers ers and track crews likewise penetrate penetrate pene- pene the west The Pony Express gave the answer The experiment in one sense was not new Eastern newspaper editors earlier in the nineteenth century had established communication systems between en larger eastern CiU cities s by which riders rider sped with news dis dispatch patch s It was not altogether in the west riders having tried it on a in the thc southwest The pony even even h has s been likened to a system history says sas was used by Khan whose Tartar horsemen horse horse- men rode great distances with messages messages mes- mes sages for the Asiatic conqueror The Pony Express itself had its dT 4 i v. v 1 q f r c cC 4 r C 77 i 4 2 J S j- j 4 V I 3 I c 4 NJ 4 f t y g sy 7 s Above Is the monument of the Utah Pioneer Traits Trails and Landmarks Land Land- marks association marking the site of the old Pony Express station where re c Tribune building n how w stands Inset Orrin Porter Rockwell famed Utah frontiersman who was an outstanding outstanding- figure fn n the pony g I v. v tc birth in the mind or of Senator W. W HI H. Gwin of Cn California fornia who in the late traveled on horseback from California Cal Cal- to st. st Joseph He saw of lone riders carrying letters and papers and broached the plan to the freighting firm of Russell Majors wittich operated St. St Joseph and the Pacific coast b by byway way of Salt Lake Mr Russell wa va won over and gave his his' word to the thc senator he would back the project Se Sc faithfully faithfull did he keep the pledge he hc overcame opposition of his p partners