The Pony Express

Before I started writing so many westerns,  I didn't realize the Pony Express lasted for such a brief time, from April 3, 1860, until October 26, 1861. I guess it has been written about so often that I assumed it operated longer, but the transcontinental telegraph ended its usefulness. In addition, it was never very financially successful, and the telegraph catapulted it into bankruptcy. 

The mail service started in St. Joseph, Missouri, roughly followed the Oregon and then the California Trail for most of the way, and ended up in Sacramento, California, with quick pauses along the way to pick up or deliver mail pouches. The route was just shy of 2,000 miles long with about 185 stations. Around 400 horses were used in the operation. Eighty riders during the period of operation received $125 dollars a month at a time when most workers were receiving around $30 a month. However, the job could be dangerous, and small, light riders were preferred. The total weight of everything on the horse couldn't exceed 165 pounds.

Pony Express mail pouch

On my trip to South Dakota, Jim and I stopped in St. Joseph and visited the Pony Express Museum. I loved the exhibits and the information I found there. If you're ever in the area, I highly recommend it. It made me want to include a Pony Express rider as one of the main characters in an upcoming book. Right now, I'm fully scheduled for the next two years, and there's not one where it would fit, but we'll see. As I've discovered often, things have a way of changing.

Checking a horse

Pony Express station

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