| Show r FIRST OVERLAND KXPIIEEU The > IanRrr nl the tlrlulimt lrll > Him the Wnlutr U llnmslil ti fill The first expr u ever run i II the plnlns was tuned b > a in n n u I Hutumild In lR8 sail l x Ii I Ifcnlmm of Montana the in i m 01 tho firm overland express It i irk I at 1 title Mack Ark and foil Ml n southern route through Knu II < M0 lltxlco Arliona and then lo I OH URl U-Rl Cal About two rOArS lalr li ISCn our company was formed for too purpose of carrying the mnls to Iho fool coast It was known fi the Central Orwiand California and Ilke Panic Impress company Ullllim II j Unwell Mciander Majors and a nan natiinl Widell formed thin company I and the contracts with the govern icnt for csrrjIiiR mail wore mailo out In their names I was chosen I1 IIlIe nod had my office In Dent Th southern route run by Iltitleinetl did not have ns much promlnento ns ours which for yours was known ns the pony express route It was stnrlil In st St Jon ph Mo running through Nebraska to Port Kearney to Port Joramle V > o thence lo Denver to Bait Uko lily to Ilarcrvlllo Net and lo Sacramento Ol The whole trip estendlnR halt across Ibo anti neat toes nindo seventeen days whtn no accident befell and nr nirmj Leer not so minieroin an bum people have Imagined Prom HI Joseph ii Denver the trip took seven tins nnd from Denver lo Sacramento was n Journey of ten days Tint vin of course by the regular stage rout a I llltlo time wns lost In making II To accommodate our business we h d < 1 about 150 roaches most of which were Kept running all the time To haul the i vvo had IMII 1 homo scattered along tho route from St Joseph to Haeramrn to In addition toe had 0000 i or 7000 head of tattle which were used 1 In hauling heavy freight and transportIng transport-Ing feed for the horses and feed for our men You can see that the Iniilnc s was not by any mean a small one and It continued to grow ns long as then was any use far such means of Iran portatlon This was until Iho completion comple-tion of Iho Union 1aclflc railway to California In 1870 Then overland traf tie and mail service could bo managed to better service by the railroad and our pony express went out of existence Hut up to thai lime from thin day when the route was first opened In I860 Its business had steadily Increased tarn tho building of the railroad assisted us for our tine was the best adapted 1 for carrying to western stations employes and provision |
