The Pony Express - the Thread That Tied the
East to the West
by Nancy J. Reid
Photos courtesy of the National Park Service

Over 300 runs each way, totaling over 600,000 miles traveled, the Pony Express delivered over 33,000 pieces of mail, in just 18 months. The miles were rough and the men were slight of build, none allowed to weigh over 120 pounds--and, they took an oath to act like gentlemen at all times. This meant, even out in the wild, wild west--no swearing, no getting drunk, no gambling, no acts of cruelty against animals--and if you did not live up to this agreement, you agreed to leave without pay for all services rendered.

Expected to ride through hostile Indian territory, bad weather, and terrain ranging from arid desert to snow laden mountain passes, the men who rode for the Central Overland California (Leavenworth) & Pike's Peak Express Company, were of a different breed. They rode in relays, covering 1800 miles in ten days, from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California.

C.O.C. & P.P. not only hired the riders, they bought the horses, food and supplies, and set up home stations every 75 - 100 miles, to house and feed the riders between runs. There were smaller relay stations every 10-15 miles so the riders could swap out their tired horses for fresh ones. The route was divided into 5 sections; the first leg ran from St. Joseph Mo., to Fort Kearny, Nebraska Territory; the second went to Horseshoe State near Fort Laramie, Wyoming Territory; the third went to Fort Bridger and the Salt Lake Valley in Utah; the fourth crossed the Great Basin to Roberts Creek Station, north of today's Eureka, Nevada; and the last leg, the toughest, was crossing the Nevada desert and the rugged Sierra Nevada region to arrive in either Sacramento or San Francisco, California.

With pioneers, trappers, miners and settlers all moving further and further West, there was a cry for better communication with the families and loved ones left in the East. The Pony Express, though not a great financial venture for the three partners who stepped in to fill that niche, has become one of the "Old West's" greatest stories.  It served well, helping to spread the news people needed to hear during the Civil War. Between the financial burdens the C.O.C. & P.P. carried and the advent of the telegraph, the Pony Express days were numbered. The last run was in November of 1861--and on that run the news of Civil War battles and the list of the dead and wounded, were delivered to westerners anxious to hear the outcome of the war that set brother against brother and state against state.

The legend of the Pony Express lives on in movies, books and in the hearts of those who appreciate the history of America, and what it took to settle this land. The riders can only be seen as heroes, and their stalwart mounts--whether pony or horse, played their part bravely--to which all Americans owe a debt of gratitude and respect.