The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-06-11
RlClNG OVER THE PLAINS
Thrilling Memories Of the Famous
Pony Express Service Of
Early Days.
OnlyTen Days From the Missouri
to the Golden Gate
Then.
Ten Seconds Ample Time Now--1rusty
Riders--Mai ntaining Furious
Pace.


MISUNDERSTANDING Furious
Pace.
There ia ever a charm about that which
relates to the west in ante-bellum times,
saws the Kansas City Times. 1t was not the
same west as now: the sun is just as bright,
noavbe. and the grass and trees as green.
and the waters as clear; but when the iron
wheels of progress swept over her sandy
plains and scaled her mountain tops, there
was a change. 1t is indetnable, for all
that. but still one likes to read OF the stir
RING times of the border hardships and ex-
elements and of the gradual giving away OF
nature to the hand of man. A man of mid
die noe NAV look back within his memory
see the heavy, slow freighters measuring
their way across the plains; the Santa re
trail within his memory wound, serpent
Iike from the banks of the Missouri at this
c;tv to the lonely Spanish settlement IN
New Mexico. One by one he saw the relics
of earlier days slip out of existence towards
the setting sun, the "a lroad ana the tele,
craph pushed their way from the east, anu
the pioneer glories OF the great "es' were
over. L.: A. |
One of the last, and, at the same time, the
most prominent of these features OF the
west before the railroads and the telegraph
came was the pony express, by the means OF
which messages were carried from the MIS-
souri, river to the Pacific coast IN less than
ten days. How remarkable it all seems
now! Ten DAYS from the Missouri to the
Golden Gate on pony back. But it is re-
markable after all. Now it is ten seconds,
but for ponies over mountains, plains,
through storms and sun, the work was Won
derfui. One of the founders OF the pony
but active old age, prominent IN business
and as bright as in the days of his youth
Col. Alexander Majors is 20. For years he
was member of the firm of Russell, Ma
TORS L. Waddell, of Leavenworth, Kan, per-
haps the most prominent frelghtlng house
in the west in the days before the railroads
came.
1t was in 1858 that Senator Gwynn of CAL
Hernia, known as Duke Gwynn by reason
of some title conferred upon him in Mexi-
CO, conceived the idea of transmitting the
mails across the plains on swiftly running
ponies. Senator Gwynn, by the by, was
killed in California before the war in duel
with the famous Broderick. Gwynn thought
the coast deserved better mail service
than that afforded by the stage coach
route through the southern territories by
way of Los Angeles, and he went to Wash
ington with his mind full of plans for
pony service directly across the country,
He was laughed at by his colleagues, how
ever, and told that an all-the-y ear-round
service across the middle Rocky mountains,
through Colorado, Nevada and Utah, would
be an utter impossibility. Nothing daunt-
ed, Senator Gwynn sought Col. Russell,
who spent great deal OF his time IN
Washington, and the two worked out a plan
for the service. The fact that Russell, Ma
iors and Wadden were the heaviest freight
ers in the west suggested that the firm
would give good service in the new VEN
ture. Assistance from the government was
= 6euured, and in 1853 the ponies started.
"They ran across the country for nine
MONTHS" said Col. Majors few days ago,
never missing schedule time at either of
the terminal points. The given time from
st. Joseph to Sacramento was ten days, and
through sunshine and storm, snow, mud,
sand and rocks, the hardy racers pushed on
to the west, or back to the east, with the
speed of a railroad train. If the ponies lost
time through bad weather over one part of
the route, they picked it up on another-on
q journey of two Thousand miles some of
the weather was bound to be good. The
most noteworthy piece of work performed
by the ponies,'' continued Col. Majors
was in the delivering of one of President
Buchanan's messages in a few hours ovel
eight days. The message was received il
st. Joe by wire, Immediately placed upor
light manifold paper and given to the mes
senRer. The pony was off like the wind
Forty of the little fellows were required t.
do the work, and it was done to the QUEEN
taste. But the telegraph came soon,' sale
Col. Majors sadly, land that broke thu
pony's back. Later the railroads came. ant
we had to stop our wagons and close up oul
business
At Leavenworth, Kan, to-day the rust,
old sign bearing the names Russell, Major
d Waddell may yet be seen on building a
the corner of Shawnee and Main streets
Col. Majors, who is vice president of tn
Kansas City Mining Exchange, is the Onl
survivor of the firm. John w. Waddel
died number of years ago, and VIM. II
Russell passed away in st. Louis over
decade since.
The pony express company employee,
about 600 of the hardy little animals indi
genous to the west. Post houses wer
maintained every ten miles, at which sey
eral OF the ponies were always kept. Th
run for each animal was ten miles withou
rest. And it was a run. too. Not ste
miles the rider urged his carrier, and tn
horse fairly flew over the familiar groune
whether it was mountain or prairie, plat
or desert. Each rider rode three horse
without resting, and there was one fellow
loose, easy going, dare devil, who AWAY
without resting At the post house til
man in charge stood in front of the dot
holding the changing pony that was to ca
~ the approaching rider. With rush IL
expressman came. There WAS q cloud I
dust, jump. an instantaneous change .
the small, light saddle bags carried, and
ten seconds from the moment of his arrlv
the rider was on the rearing little amin
that was SO anxious to be off. Away thl
went with plunge and shout, to be lost
moment later in cloud of flying dust. II
ponies entered into the spirit of their VOL
quite as fully as the men bestride theI
They never faltered, whether the night wi
dark or the road uncertain. It was alwa
plunge ahead as if on ride where Ii
and death were concerned. In his "Roug
1ng IT, Mark Twain tells of his first al
Last sight of the pony express from sta
coach window. The humorist pays a hil
tribute to the plucky little horses and t
daring fellows who rode them, closing thr
so sudden was it all, and so like a fia
OF unreal fancy, that but for the flake
white foam left quivering and perashi
after a vision had flashed by and disa
peared, we might have doubted whether
had seen any actual man or horse at q
maybe"
William Cody, Buffalo BILL had his Fl
experience on the plains as pony expr
rider at the age of Is. He rode over rol