The Pony Express: The Fastest Mail Service in the Wild West

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Welcome back to Biographics! I’m your host, Eric Malachite, a published author of cosmic Lovecraftian horror. Today’s protagonist is not a person, but rather a company known as the Pony Express. Be sure to give some love to the author of today’s script, Larry Holsworth, in the comments, and tell us what your favorite thing about the Pony Express is. That said, get ready to deploy your likes and comments and gear up for a wild ride!

In late 1859, a recruiting poster appeared on billboards and street posts throughout the American Western frontier. It read: “Wanted: Young, skinny, wiry fellows not over 18, must be expert riders willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred. Wages: $25 per week.” This was an ad for one of the most fabled and shortest-lived adventures of the American West: the Pony Express. For those unfamiliar, it sought riders to carry the mail on horseback in a series of relays that stretched from Missouri to California. The route crossed over 1,900 miles of mostly unsettled territory, much of it populated with hostile tribes who understandably didn’t take kindly to strangers crossing their land.

The Pony Express was born out of the need to improve communications with California and the wealthy mining communities of the Nevada territory in the months preceding the Civil War. At that time, a journey from New York to San Francisco via ship around Cape Horn took months, subject to the whims of weather and human error. It could be shortened by disembarking along the isthmus of Panama, crossing the Pacific via steamship and wagon, and joining another ship near present-day Panama City. Such a journey was fraught with peril, including yellow fever, malaria, and slipping on wet rocks while disembarking.

Another option was overland via stagecoach, which ran on a more or less scheduled basis, usually connecting with towns located near Army posts. They were subject to attacks from bandits, and even if a traveler avoided those perils, the journey was slow, taking weeks to travel from St. Joseph in Missouri to Sacramento, California. A third option was joining one of the wagon trains that slowly plotted westward along well-worn trails, which also took months to make the journey.

None of the available options were reliable or suitable for transmitting news in any reasonable timeframe. The Pony Express was a solution to that problem, though it was a short-lived one, operating for just 18 months. In that time, it became a legend of the American West. The romantic image of a lone rider facing and triumphing over vast distances, inclement weather, hostile tribes, and roving bandits is part of Western mythology. In truth, it was a massive undertaking that ultimately failed when it proved unprofitable. Still, it is fondly remembered as part of American history as an attempt to overcome the imposing geography of the continent.

California was a well-known land of myth to most Americans. When gold was discovered there in 1848, the Gold Rush triggered a rapid expansion of its population from arriving gold seekers and other entrepreneurs and settlers. Interestingly, most gold prospectors failed to make any money during the Gold Rush, including the man whose land gold was first discovered on, John Sutter, who was ultimately bankrupted by it.

About half of the newcomers arrived in California by sea, disembarking in San Francisco, which became a boomtown. From there, they traveled up the Sacramento River to the goldfields. The other half traveled west via wagon trails, including the Oregon Trail. The overland route established by the gold seekers, known as the 49ers, was later used as the favored route by the Pony Express.

California became a state in 1850 as part of the Compromise of 1850, an attempt to stave off the Civil War over the issue of slavery. The new state remained largely isolated due to its location far from the eastern states, yet its importance to the nation grew over the ensuing decade. It was rich in resources beyond just gold, and due to its rapid settlement, it was populated with both pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions. Communication between California and the East grew increasingly critical as the nation moved toward secession and war.

Neither the telegraph nor the railroads had spanned the distance across the West. Towns and settlements located in the territories were isolated from both coasts and each other. Military outposts dotted the territories and required shipping companies to provide them with supplies. One such shipping company was the Russell, Majors, and Waddell firm, which serviced military outposts in Wyoming and Colorado territories. In 1859, its three principals—William Russell, Alexander Majors, and William Waddell—formed a new company intended to carry mail and freight between California and the new settlements in the Rocky Mountains, spurred by the discovery of gold near Pikes Peak. They named the new company the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company, which was later shortened to the CCO and PP Express.

Although it carried mail, the service was necessarily slow, with mail waiting until full freight loads were ready before moving at a slow pace. It was Russell who first mentioned the idea of a fast-moving mail service in a letter dated January 27, 1860. He wrote that he had determined to establish a Pony Express to Sacramento, adding his belief that such an endeavor could be in operation by April.

The three partners had considerable experience in organizing shipping routes, which required way stations for fresh horses, as well as stables, water supplies, feed, and drivers. Their first step was selecting the best possible route connecting St. Joseph, Missouri, where the railroad ended, to Sacramento. They divided the route between St. Joseph and Salt Lake City into three divisions: St. Joseph to Fort Kearney in Nebraska, from there to Horseshoe Station in Wyoming Territory, and then to Salt Lake City. The route from Salt Lake City to Sacramento was known only to explorers and hunters.

The Pony Express established two divisions along the route in 1859. The three partners began building a road to haul freight between Sacramento and Salt Lake City across central Nevada. Throughout 1859, the company built the road and about 200 relay stations along it. The amenities of these stations varied and generally fell into one of two designations: way stations and home stations. Way stations were simply brief stops where riders would change horses, while home stations changed both horse and rider, providing facilities for both.

The Pony Express ultimately established itself as a separate wholly-owned company in early 1860, with headquarters on Montgomery Street in San Francisco and branch offices in St. Joseph, Missouri, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, and other Eastern cities. Mail delivered to the offices in the East was shipped by train to St. Joseph, where it was transferred to the riders. Mail heading eastward followed a reverse path.

The company hired between 80 and 100 riders, but riders were far from the only personnel needed. Each of the nearly 200 stations required a station master to operate it. Corrals were needed for the horses, and wranglers and stock keepers were needed to manage the corrals and stables. The stations required supplies delivered by the Pony Express’s wagons, which required drivers and loaders. Over 60,000 oxen and mules were purchased to haul the wagons. The company also needed hundreds of horses, as the Pony Express was to be a 24-hour operation. All in all, the company bought about 500 horses, largely California Mustangs, though some were used horses better suited for the environment they needed to traverse.

By April 1860, when the Pony Express first opened, 186 stations were in place, averaging about 15 miles apart, with 80 riders ready to carry the mail. In addition to being young and wiry, as mentioned in the intro, the riders were required to swear an oath in which they promised to forsake liquor, profanity, and fighting. Most of the riders were young and inexperienced, and many were orphans or runaways looking to earn that $25 per week, which is equivalent to about $950 a week today.

To earn that pay, which exceeded $100 per month at a time when the average laborer earned less than $20, riders covered an average of 75 miles per shift, changing horses at each way station. The riders simply swung through the stations, which were also called swing stations. They rode day and night, seven days a week. The horses were small, averaging just over 14 hands at the withers, roughly 4 feet 8 inches in height at the top of the front shoulder. Most were not ponies in strictly technical terms, but they were more or less pony-sized, hence the name Pony Express.

The saddles were specially designed for lightness and durability. Covering the saddle was a device called a mochila, which was held in place over the saddle by the rider sitting on it. Along the sides of the mochila were four containers of hard leather called cantinas, two in front and two in back, which carried the mail. When the rider arrived at a station, they would dismount, grab the mochila, sling it over the saddle on a waiting horse tended by the station master, mount, and continue on their way. If they were at the final stop of their leg, they would give the mochila to the next rider.

The only other items riders carried were a canteen of water, a gun, and a Bible. Initially, some riders also carried a rifle, but this was deemed unnecessary weight. Riders were routinely shot at, but the argument about carrying a Bible was never raised. Between stations, the riders did not proceed at a full gallop as often depicted in films unless they were being pursued or were badly behind schedule. The standard gait for each leg, which was between 10 and 15 miles, was a brisk trot with an average speed of about 10 mph.

The station master tended to the newly arrived horse and ensured a horse was ready for another arriving rider in either direction. Since the express was a 24-hour-a-day operation, most station masters employed one or more assistants to aid them in their duties. The riders were exposed to the dangers of the Paiute Indians during the Paiute War in Nevada from May through July 1860, as were the station masters and other personnel. In fact, the Paiute War demonstrated that working at the stations was more dangerous than carrying the mail. Stations were raided for their valuable livestock, and their occupants were often killed in gruesome ways as a warning to future trespassers. The Pony Express lost over $75,000 in property during the Paiute War, and at least 16 employees were killed, all but one being station employees. Only once was a rider killed by Indians in transit, but the Paiute had no use for the mail he carried and left it behind when they fled.

The rider was 14-year-old Billy Tate, who had been ambushed by 12 Paiute warriors on his way to Dry Creek, Nevada. Unlike many victims of similar ambushes, Tate’s body was found unscathed, suggesting he had somehow earned the respect of his pursuers. When Tate’s body was found, it was surrounded by seven dead Indians, indicating that he had managed to injure several more. This was impressive, considering riders were only equipped with a six-shooter. It’s entirely possible Tate had taken out half of his ambushers in one volley before being overwhelmed.

Two years later, his mail pouch was discovered and delivered to its destination, though by then the Pony Express had ceased to exist. Still, it was a more symbolic gesture. James Butler Hickok, known as Wild Bill, claimed to have been a rider for the Pony Express, but he actually worked for the company briefly as a stockkeeper. Buffalo Bill Cody greatly exaggerated his stories of being a rider for the Pony Express, but he did ride for the service at the age of 15. He claimed one ride of 322 miles took over 21 continuous hours in the saddle using 21 horses, which he called the longest ride in the history of the Pony Express. His claim is unsupported by company records but added to his reputation.

The Pony Express offered speedy delivery, guaranteeing delivery between its furthest departure stations in just 10 days, but it was expensive. Rates were based on weight. At the beginning of service in April 1860, a half-ounce letter cost $5, equivalent to roughly $175 today. By contrast, a letter weighing four times as much could be posted via the US mail for 2 cents, about 75 cents today. The high cost meant that the primary customers for the Pony Express were businesses, which allowed the company to manage costs by providing its own lightweight paper and envelopes to customers.

According to the Smithsonian, the Pony Express, though it existed for just 18 months, went through four distinct rate periods. The first period from April to July 1860 was the most expensive. That summer, the company attempted to reduce rates in hopes of increasing its customer base. By June 1860, mail was routinely transiting between Sacramento and St. Joseph in 9 or 10 days, mostly business-oriented. The Pony Express lobbied hard to obtain a contract to carry US mail along its route, but its failure to do so contributed to its early demise. Congress awarded the lucrative mail contract to the Overland Stage route.

By late summer 1860, the telegraph was encroaching upon the Pony Express. Fort Kearney, Nebraska, was the westernmost telegraph station reachable from the East, while in the West, the telegraph had reached Fort Churchill in the Nevada Territory. Efforts to connect the two outposts continued through the summer and autumn of 1860. Once connected, a faster means of communication would render the Pony Express obsolete.

The presidential election of 1860 was a consequential event in American history. Several Southern states threatened to secede from the Union over the issue of slavery if the Republican candidate, Abraham Lincoln, won the presidency. William Russell, one of the three principals in the Pony Express and its largest investor, wanted to use the election to emphasize the speed with which the service could disseminate news to California and the western territories. He hired additional riders and positioned them at stations between Fort Kearney and Fort Churchill.

Lincoln was elected on November 6, 1860, but the victory wasn’t known until early morning on November 7. It was immediately sent by telegraph to Fort Kearney, and from there, word of Lincoln’s victory was carried by Pony Express riders to Fort Churchill. Despite much of the trail across Nevada being covered in freshly fallen snow, the news was telegraphed to Sacramento and San Francisco in just under 8 days after Washington newspapers announced Lincoln’s victory.

By March 1861, the Pony Express ceased operations between St. Joseph and Salt Lake City. Its stations and other infrastructure were taken over by stagecoach operations run by Benjamin Holiday, known in the West as the Stagecoach King. The Pony Express continued to operate between Salt Lake City and Sacramento through the summer of 1862, carrying US mail. In October of that year, the telegraph finally connected Omaha, Nebraska, with Sacramento via Salt Lake City. Two days later, on October 26, 1862, the Pony Express ceased operations, and Holiday quickly acquired its remaining assets.

In the roughly 18 months of operation, the Pony Express generated losses of $200,000, about $6.2 million today. It had simply been an unsustainable endeavor, with costs far outweighing benefits. However, it had been a romantic adventure for many and saw quite a few people make out well, including some bandits. Buffalo Bill Cody stressed that romanticism in his Western shows, which became popular in the 19th and early 20th centuries, emphasizing his own involvement.

The Pony Express became a popular subject for dime novels, pulp magazines, and popular fiction. The film industry took up the mantle in the 1930s and 1940s, and as recently as 2012, the documentary “Spirit of the Pony Express” celebrated the service. Episodes of the long-running Western “Bonanza” and the 1989-92 series “The Young Riders” featured portrayals of the Pony Express.

Much of the route followed by the Pony Express is accessible today, with much of it controlled by the Federal Bureau of Land Management. In 1992, Congress designated much of the route as a National Historic Trail, passing through eight states and including reconstructed stations as well as the ruins of some originals. Over four dozen such stations can be visited along the more than 1,800 miles of the route. The western end of the original route is located at the Pony Express terminal and the B.F. Hastings Bank in Old Sacramento State Historic Park, California. The eastern terminus is at the Patee House Museum in St. Joseph, Missouri, which was a hotel at the time and served as the sign for the company’s eastern headquarters.

Though the Pony Express failed as a business for numerous reasons, it remains an important and remembered part of American history. It was one of several attempts to figuratively unite the sprawling country in the mid-19th century. Before it began operation, the idea of covering the distance between western Missouri and the California coast in just 10 days was considered madness. It achieved that goal on its first run and continued to do so despite the obstacles. For the short time it remained in business, nothing surpassed its speed in delivering the mail over that distance until the opening of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869.

Like much of the history of the American West, the Pony Express is shrouded in myth and romanticism. Most of its nearly 100 riders, station masters, and the many hundreds of employees who made it work, even for just a short time, are forgotten to history. But the Pony Express lives on. In 2006, the United States Postal Service announced they had trademarked the name Pony Express, though it remains unknown if they intend to use it.

I hope you learned something today! If you enjoyed this video, be sure to like, comment down below, and share it with someone who loves learning about history. I’m Eric Malachite, and I’ll see you next time!

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