| Show THE PONY EXPRESS Released through h courtesy of or the thc lie Utah Historical Landmarks Association Nen- Nen f hUJe Silt Lake City Utah The settlement of Oregon and Utah and the discovery Cry of gold In California quickened the commercial pulse of the country Speed in m hand hand- handling ling hind ling mg communications brought into a romantic figure of the early West the West the Pon Pony Express rider No old time celebration is 15 com com- complete complete complete today unless a Pony EXpress rider figures in m the parade Its It s 's well ell tha that the owners of the Pony Express did not provide a pennon system Stem for enough riders leave have ap- ap appeared ap appeared l in different parts p of the coun coun- country country country try during the past t two 0 decades to wreck the United Un led States te Steel Cor Cor- Corporation Corporation Quite harmless a role how ho however ever er compared with other current forms bf of publicity The history of the pony express s stem is s lost in m antiquity The old Tarter l kings originated ed this method of communication centuries ago Mar Mar- Marco Mar Mar-co Marco co Polo relates that the thc stations were ere twenty t five fire e- e emiles miles apart and as many manyas manyas manyas I as three hundred miles were ere cover er co covered er- er ered ed by a 3 rider in m one day Other simi simi- similar simi similar lar enterprises were ere inaugurated m in I Europe long before they were ere dream dream- dreamed dreamed ed of in m the western estern world None of this old history however hoever ho ever detracts from the romance of the Western Pony E Express press which was trio and ind most dangerous from the viewpoint of money invested and personal risk un involved of any sImIlar undertaking ever attempted in m America Amer Amer- AmerIca America ica American speed was as shown sho m in inthis inthis thIs organization and a little more than four months after the proJect as as contemplated and the plans car car- car car- carrIed carved carried ried ved out with presumed rIders were dashing over the plains deserts and mountains William 11 II Russell a leading CIt CIt- CItIzen citizen cit citizen izen of Laa L en orth K was the prIme mover He lie w was as assisted by Majors and Waddell Ins Jus former r part- part ners ers in m the freighting business The first purchase of Poney EY- EY Express Ex Express press horses was vas made in Silt Salt Lake City where Russell picked up t two 0 hundreds carefully selected animals at two t t o hundred dollars each cich The rIders were sere likewise sel selected lcd with groat care and very vory few were ere chosen who more than one five hundred thirty five pounds Saddles brIdles and leather pouches were especially constructed for this service and the combined weight of the equIpment was as thirteen pounds were ere reduced to the tho minimum andas and as a arule arule arule rule only revolvers were carried The entire route was as divided into stages which were ere from nine to fifteen miles apart Each ach rider was presumed to c cover er three stages rid rid- riding rid riding ing Int three animals in m succession and covering co about thirty three and third one one one- third miles m Changes in m stages were re made from time to time some rIders and horses covering lon longer er distances than bhan others due to differences m in climate and danger along the route At either cither end of the line the m- m inauguration in inauguration of the Pony Express was as made a gala affair St Joseph Mis lIhs- Missouri was chosen as the eastern point of de departure John A Frey the first eastern Pony Express rIder left St Joseph at 5 00 pm p m April 3 receiving a send-off send by thou thousands thousands sands of people his departure was announced through the firing ofa of a cannon lIe He made a ride nde to Seneca a of eighty miles at an avenge e speed of twelve and one half miles an hour including pony changes j jIn In Sacramento western estern terminus of the the- route an equally celebration bon announced the departure of Henry Roff the first Pon Pony Express rider out o of Sacramento on theme the Sime sime me daj day April 3rd All business was as suspended su ended ind nd the city was as decorated d orated for the event Prey Frey rode a jet blackHorse black Horse hore hori c out of St Joseph a pure white steed sted dashed dashed out of If Roff covered his first twenty t miles in m fifty fifty ty nine minutes n changed horses at Folsom in m ten second and rode on to Placerville the end of this run The total distance riden b by Roff Roll was fifty- fifty five miles time two t hours and forty- forty five minutes with h part of the coun- coun country country country try very hilly There was a longrun longrun long run through Fort Churchill Smith Creek and on to Salt Lake City which was reached from the west est em April and from the east on Apul For the first time in its hIStory the west was as able to communicate with the Pacific coast and the Atlan Atlan- Atlantic Atlantic PrevIOus tic coast in m a few days Previous to that time it Jt required from four foul fou weeks s to three months for letters to tc to reich reach different parts of the west from the Atlantic coast President Lincoln's first inaugural address was earned carried from St Joseph to Sacramento a distance of 1980 miles in m seven days and seventeen hours Animals ls used on the route have usually us- us usually usually been to as ponies pomes but bul they were for the most part fine fim American horses Eighty riders were ere employed on the th I route and md at times every everyone one of thes these men was as in m the saddle forty going goin west and forty going east cast It was as to cover er mIles mile every t ent twenty four hours day or night nigh ram rain or shine The v weight eight of the letters was as lImIt limn limited ed cd to t twenty enty pounds and the total tota weight eight of rider and equipment wa was presumed not to exceed pounds The mail mall mallas was as sacked into four fou equal parts The mail mall pouches were ere locked when delivered to the rIder ride and opened with duplicate keys kes ke s in th the possession of officials at each end of o the route or at designated stations sl A charge of five dollars was made for each half ounce of malland mailand mail mall and on this basis each through mail mall pouch 1 earned four twenty hundred dollars dollar Later the rate was reduced to one per half ounce Letters were e wrapped in oil silk as a protectIon against swollen streams and rams rains The mail mall was as of more importance than the rider andon and on one occasIon an express rider was killed and scalp scalp- scalped scalped seal ed but the pony pony escaped with the ma mall mail which was brough through safely to S the next station The pay of Pony Express riders s ranged from fifty dollars donars to one hun hun- hundred dred f fifty ty a month with board Only those who performed unusual feats or incurred special risks were ere ere paId pathe the top price Receipts of the tM Pony Express s amounted at times to over a thou thou- thousand thousand sand dollars a day Notwithstanding ig these seemingly high ugh receipts the service lasted less than eighteen n months and resulted in m financial fail fail- fa il- il ute uie The Pacific Telegraph sounded sound si the death knell of the Pony Express the most romantic letter carrier system stein this country has ever known |
