![]() Such delays were keenly felt by Californians. Although the advertised traveling time was 24 days, as a practical matter cross-country stagecoach mail service was often delayed for months. Butterfield's stages used the 2,795-mile "Southern Route" between Tipton, Missouri, and San Francisco. Some mail also was hauled by stagecoach across country, beginning on September 15, 1858, when the Post Office Department issued a contract to the Overland Mail Company, operated by John Butterfield. The completion of a telegraph linking both coasts was close to becoming a reality, but it would still be more than a year before it could be completed. At that time, the railroads extended only as far west as the Mississippi River. The completion of a coast-to-coast railroad was years away. Those people were determined to have the delivery time of their mail improved. By 1860, almost 1/2 million people were living in the western states. Both the North and the South desired California's vast resources. But, that schedule was optimistic.Īs the tensions of the approaching Civil War grew, the division between northern and southern states widened, exacerbating the problems of mail service to the western states. Under the best of conditions, a letter could be carried to the West Coast in three or four weeks. Under the terms of the contract, the mail was carried by ship from New York to Panama, where it was taken across the Isthmus of Panama by horseback or rail, and then put aboard ships bound for San Francisco. That same year, the Post Office Department awarded a contract to the Pacific Mail Steamship Company to carry mail to California. ![]() After gold was discovered in 1848 in Sutter's Mill in California, prospectors joined with homesteaders flocking westward. The Pony Express grew out of a need for swifter mail service between the East and West prior to the Civil War. ![]() Riders continued even at night when the only illumination came from the moon or flashes of lightning. And, like so many legendary events of the "Old West," there have been wild exaggerations of the facts.ĭespite the braggadocio, these young horsemen faced numerous dangers, such as thieves, deserts, or blizzards. The name "Pony Express" evokes images of courageous young men crossing long stretches of country, frequently under harsh conditions, facing the constant threat of death. Did you know that with your family membership, entrance is free throughout the year – as well as many other benefits you’ll enjoy as you keep the stories, history and spirit of the Pony Express alive.The Pony Express is one of the most colorful episodes in American history, one which can be used to measure not only the growth of the nation, but the pioneering spirit of our predecessors. Leave your own family name in a list of members who help share the legend for generations by becoming a Member. ĭo you have information about a Pony Express rider? Please let us know. Read more about the youngest Pony Express rider here. We honor them and their commitment to this legendary part of the American West. While no official company records of all the riders have ever been uncovered, this list has been compiled from various sources including newspaper accounts, secondary sources and family histories. They were the Pony Express riders, and you can relive their experience as you learn more about the Pony Express National Historic Trail. Through the dust storms and heat of the expansive Plains and the freezing walls of ice and snow in the Rocky Mountains, they rode with their mission to deliver the mail as fast as their horse could carry it. Just who were these men (and boys)? They must have craved adventure, been very courageous and been driven by their unique perseverant spirit.
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