In nineteen short months an American legend was born. Wiry young riders delivering mail with unprecedented speed captured the world's attention and iconified the American West spirit of adventure. The legend of the Pony Express is pretty much known by everyone. The idea of a fast mail route to the Pacific coast was prompted largely by California's newfound prominence and its rapidly growing population. They estimated a horse could ride top speed with a small rider for approximately 10-15 miles. The Pony Express valued one goal above all others; speed. Their riders had no time to carouse. The riders were paid on average between $50 to $100 a month, this all included board and room. A comparable wage for unskilled labor at the time was about $0.43–$1 per day. Given that they traveled as much as they did, they didn’t really have time to sight see and enjoy the pleasures of city life. Short lay-overs for rest was all they had. Which in my opinion was a little sad but I’m pretty sure they saw some spectacular things along the way and enjoyed what little “sight” seeing they had. Sleep and rest was a priority, you know besides speed.
In the late 1850s, William Russell, Alexander Majors, and William Waddell were the three founders of the iconic Pony Express. They were already in the freighting and drayage business. At the peak of the operations, they employed 6,000 men, owned 75,000 oxen, thousands of wagons, and warehouses, plus a sawmill, a meatpacking plant, a bank and an insurance company. They also held government contracts for delivering army supplies to the western frontier, and Russell had a similar idea for contracts with the U.S. Government for fast mail delivery. By utilizing a short route and using mounted riders rather than traditional stagecoach, they proposed to establish a fast mail service between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California, with letters delivered in 10 days, a duration many said was impossible. The initial price was set at $5 per 1⁄2 ounce (14 g), then $2.50, and by July 1861 to $1. The founders of the Pony Express hoped to win an exclusive government mail contract, but that did not come about. During its brief time in operation, the Pony Express delivered approximately 35,000 letters between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California. Although the Pony Express proved that the central/northern mail route was viable, Russel, Major, and Waddell did not get the contract to deliver mail over the route. The contract was instead awarded to Jeremy Dehut in March 1861, who had taken over the Southern Congressionally favored butterflied overland mail Stage Line. The so-called 'Stagecoach King', ben holiday, acquired the Russell, Majors and Waddell stations for his stagecoaches. Shortly after the contract was awarded, the start of the American Civil War caused the stage line to cease operation. Despite the subsidy, the Pony Express was a financial failure. It grossed $90,000 and lost $200,000. After it was said and done I strongly believe that the Pony Express was headed somewhere. It was ahead of its time. The Pony Express showed pride but also went through its compromise with delivering mail in a short amount of time. Regardless of its failures, I believe it was successful when it came to speed, operation, and oath to take this matter seriously. No matter what comes our way in the future we will all still remember the legend of the Pony Express. Thanks for reading if you’d like to more please comment below!
"I, ..., do hereby swear, before the Great and Living God, that during my engagement, and while I am an employee of Russell, Majors, and Waddell, I will, under no circumstances, use profane language, that I will drink no intoxicating liquors, that I will not quarrel or fight with any other employee of the firm, and that in every respect I will conduct myself honestly, be faithful to my duties, and so direct all my acts as to win the confidence of my employers, so help me God."
— Oath sworn by Pony Express Riders
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