PONY EXPRESS. by M. C. Hall. Vero Beach, Florida 32964

Transcription

1 PONY EXPRESS by M. C. Hall Vero Beach, Florida 32964

2 2010 Rourke Publishing LLC All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher. Photo credits: Bridgeman Art, cover; Robyn Mackenzie/iStockphoto, cover, 5, 11, 17, 23, 29, 37; Deon Reynolds/Monsoon Images/Photo Library, 4; North Wind Picture Archives, 6, 12, 14; American School/Getty Images, 8, 27; Phil Schermeister/Corbis, 9; North Wind Picture Archives/Photo Library, 10, 22, 24, 33, 38, 39, 44, 45 (top); The Print Collector/Photo Library, 13; Red Line Editorial, 15 (left), 47; Library of Congress, 15 (right), 28, 30, 35, 36, 40, 45 (bottom); Used by permission, Utah State Historical Society. All rights reserved., 16, 20, 21 (left); Bettmann/Corbis, 19, 21 (right), 34; Diane Garcia/iStockphoto, 41 (left); John Kropewnicki/iStockphoto, 41 (right) Editor: Melissa Johnson Cover and page design: Becky Daum Content Consultant: Gary Chilcote, Patee House Museum Director Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hall, Margaret, The Pony Express / M.C. Hall. p. cm. (Events in American history) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN (alk. paper) 1. Pony express History Juvenile literature. 2. Postal service United States History Juvenile literature. 3. West (U.S.) History Juvenile literature. I. Title. HE6375.P65H ' dc Printed in the USA - rourke@rourkepublishing.com Post Office Box Vero Beach, Florida 32964

3 Table of Contents Chapter One Off and Running 5 Chapter Two Growing Pains 11 Chapter Three A Bold Plan 17 Chapter Four The Pony Express at Work 23 Chapter Five Trouble on the Trail 29 Chapter Six The End of the Line 37 Biographies 42 Timeline 44 Glossary 46 Websites 47 Reference Map 47 Index 48

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5 Chapter One Off and Running Ahuge crowd gathered in St. Joseph, Missouri on April 3, Bands played and flags waved in the air. Everyone was excited about the first run of the Pony Express. Would the plan work? Was it possible to deliver mail from St. Joseph to California in only ten days? The first Pony Express rider was due to leave at 5:00 that evening. However, the train bringing the mail was late. An hour passed, then another. Finally, a steam engine with a single car pulled into St. Joseph. A man hurried off the train with a bag of mail. The bag held letters, telegrams, and newspapers. All were made of thin paper to keep the weight down. The mail was quickly wrapped in oiled silk to protect it from rain. Riders passed through long stretches of deserted country. This section of the Pony Express trail in Nevada still exists today. 5

6 Mystery Rider Many newspapers wrote about the first run of the Pony Express. However, none named the rider who left St. Joseph. Many believe the young rider was either Billy Richardson or Johnny Frey. Although it was behind schedule, the mail did not leave right away. First, people made speeches. At last, a cannon boomed and the rider raced down the street to the Missouri River. There, he boarded a ferry for the short trip to the Kansas Territory. On the Kansas side, the young man rode on through the darkness. He stopped at Pony Express stations along the way. At each station, he quickly switched to a new horse and then started off again. Several hours A ferry carries a covered wagon across a river. Pony Express riders also used ferries to cross rivers. 6

7 later, he handed the mailbag, or mochila, to another rider. His part of the journey was over. More than 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) away, much the same thing was happening. A mochila filled with mail left San Francisco, California on April 3. It traveled upriver to Sacramento, arriving after midnight on April 4. Mail from Sacramento was added to the pouch. Then a rider set off toward the East. Later that day, he handed the mailbag to another rider. From one rider to another, the mail traveled on. From the East, riders crossed the grasslands of Nebraska Territory. They rode into Utah Territory and through Salt Lake City. They crossed the dusty deserts of what is now Nevada. They struggled up the steep and snowy Sierra Nevada Mountains. Riders from the West made the journey in reverse. Each rider stopped only to change horses and to pick up mail. At the end of one rider s run, another took over. On April 13 a rider from the West reached the last Pony Express station in the Kansas Territory. He took the mailbag and rode to the river. A ferry carried him and the mail to Missouri. It was after dark when the rider arrived in St. Joseph. Still, there was a crowd waiting for him. People lit bonfires, rang church bells, and set off fireworks. At about the same time in Placerville, California another crowd had gathered. They were waiting for Billy Hamilton, who had the honor of being the last rider to 7