The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-07-29
Those Days II Was Z Great In
stitntion in tho Wide
West
he Route OF the Ponies Was
Over Desert and Mountain
Ranges.
I'D Things Have Passed 30 Utterly thn
Present Generation Hardly Believe
They Ever Existed.

There ID q book published in the east
allied Pony Exf ressmen." And the title
a,ninda old settlers at what the pony e1-
{rAss wns to this region n the region
urther west about 186l-G2. Before shat all
he news between the east a thA west
kent by stenmsr, and once In two weeks
Eas on often ~ letters could be looked for.
he pony express was instituted TO run
rom Sacramento TO where y could reach
he telegraph station TO the east. u carried
ettsrs, too. to connect with swift mails in
he east, and over the whole way the ponies
EysraQed ten miles an hour. Tint was be-
ween Sacramento md this city; the time
VAS made about half 40 fast 40 the railroad
nakes it. It tool many . pony y IT
ook I good many light. lively young men
Q ride the ponies. II was = great
institution. Il brought to the west
The first news of many m i'm
bortant event; il was the avant courier 81
he locomotive; II was q new departure.
James Gordon Bennett. in the carly days.
WAS in tho habit.of establishing pony sx-
presses to bring news Of a great event a few
niles, in order to publish in advance OF the
derald's contemporaries news that the peo-
BILE were looking for. "
But that was nothing TO this. Ia route
BIZ those ponies lay ACROSS the Great Amer
lean desert and over several ranges Of great
mountains; often, too. the riders ran the
~kauntlet Of savaoea. u Was en- exciting
BONES and which would not have required
long to use up the riders. One of these
days. some master hand will cAuae the spec
kacle Of what a pony express was to Aateri-
|alize on canvas. and men will be attracted to
lit wish an irresistible fasoination. Il was
|the supreme test Of horse nesh and OF man
power, and at the same time il was a
mighty agency to hold the east and west
together; it caused men in the far west to
begin to realize that they were drawing
nearer and nearer to this east. and in the
beat of tho ponies' feet they began to
|dimly hear the echo Of the respiration Of
the locomotives; there was . new way to
connect the so widely separated divisions
|of the republic together with = band of
|steel.
And how those ponies were Welcomed
in tho west! How every one would stop
business whom the CRY was raised that
Here he comesl'' Horse and rider were
scanned, and sometimes framed into an
extra, and new themes of conversation
were given to the people for the next
twenty-four hours until another pony
should come. Great old days were those.
They never will some any more to this
world; no conditions can ever make them
possible any more. Civilization was at
backing the continent in front and in rear,
and these ponies ran between the lines.
After awhile the route of the ponies grew
shorter and shorter; the telegraph began to
encroach upon the ponics' former preroga-
1--WE. After awhile the two ends wors con-
ipected and the pony went out on the range.
El-a 80 ~SInn fS mx&rpnA ~ Nra = q ASN
she same. That was not long ago, but it
reads like ancient history. 1t was not
long ago. and the memory OF 1t 10 vivid in
many a mind. It was oil wonderful, but
the face of the world has been
changed In thirty years. and the
new generation will read this as sim
ply some Of the %garrulous talk of
one of the old liars who still remains to
load up the present generation with myths
and legends of a past that is altogether
dim and which will soon be altogether silent.
And yet, says the Salt Lake Tribune. on
this pioneer celebration day thers will DO
many N old timer who. IT you set him
who rode the ponies, the names OF the
ponies, and how they were welcomed in this
city when thew came-the swiftest harbin-
gers of new from the west that had been
known up to that time.
Those were the days Of effort on the part
OF man anO Bt60u. hnu LuoIo WRb y kfchb
deal more individuality in the whole busi-
ness than anything that is being done now-
adays. because when the locomotive comes
it means that shrewd hnanciers off in ar
eastern city have combined their one
called to their aid all their credit. and have
sent the black monster to prey on the land,
and it does not give individuals much
chance. In the old days when there was
any dispute as to which had the best pony.
the pony was the test of the matter: the
merchant talked about it; tho horseman
talked about it; tho range man came in
and told of what wonderful ponies he pos
seased; the riders, whom they came in. told
of how they ran Town the Indian. And
there was q thrill In the hearts hat they
could not explain, but which we understand
now meant that civilization was on thu
march; that swift means were drawing tht
two extremes of the continent together; that
was exhaustino all the forces a%ttainable.
beginning with horse flesh and man power
then calling down the lightning and inall,
sending along the locomotive, Then whe1
the locomotive came, men realized an they
never had before that if the locomotive wal
not human, it WAS pretty nearly 30, ant
where it roared through the country. as tn,
wild beast f1ed before it so the wilder trait
in mans nature rstreated, and the reign 0
conservative peace and closely calculating
trade succeeded. Then came moro school
houses, then more temples to justice, thel
the half-wild man reiterated farther bacl
into the wilderness. Then the songs o
school children became more pronounced
The old things passed away; they passed
way SO utterly that those who live nov
will hardly believe they existed.