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Pony Express

pony express, in U.S. history, relay mail service. At its inception in Apr., 1860, the pony express operated between St. Joseph, Mo., the western end of a telegraph line, and Sacramento, Calif. Riders carried the mail a distance of nearly 2,000 mi (3,200 km) in about eight days, often traveling through hostile Native American territory. Stations where the riders changed horses were roughly 10 to 15 mi (16-24.1 km) apart. After a rider had covered a certain distance, the mail was turned over to another rider; this continued until the destination was reached.

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REFERENCES

  • Driggs, Howard R.The Pony Express Goes Through: An American Saga Told by Its Heroes. New York: Frederick A. Stokes, 1935.
  • Fike, Richard E.; John W. HeadleyThe Pony Express Stations of Utah in Historical Perspective. Cultural Resources Series, monograph 2.Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1979.
  • Hafen, LeRoy R.The Overland Mail, 1849-1869: Promoter of Settlement, Precursor of Railroads. New York: AMS Press, 1969.
  • Ingraham, Prentiss, ed. Seventy Years on the Frontier: Alezander Major's Memoirs. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1989.
  • Reinfeld, Fred. Pony Express. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1966.