Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1940-10-26
TELLS HISTORY OF
PONY EXPRESS
RUSSELL, MAJORS AND WADDELL
PIONEERED SPEED
RIDING
Rate at Beginning Was SIS an Ounce
for Letters But Later 1t Became
Cheaper as Government Granted
Subsidies.

are there who have knowledge of
the functions of the pony express
rider? Just before the Civil war
the government determined to es-
tabIish closer relations with Cali
fOrnia, which had come to the
United States as part Of the land
booty of the war with Mexico.
Congress authorized the pest
master general to let contracts for
carrying the mail from st. Louis
to California.
John Butterfield was put in charge
of the undertaking and the govern
ment appropriated $500, 900 for the
financing of the undertaking Butter
fields first trip was made in 20 days
Is hours, 26 minutes, and congress
passed a resolution congratulating
Butterfield on his feat. This was in
September, 1858.
Epoch of StagecOach
1t was the epoch of the stagecoach,
a vehicle with which most Montanans
are familiar. About this time gold was
discovered near Pixies peak, in Colo
RADIO, and the vanguard Of those argo-
nauts, who afterwards found their
way across the trackless wilderness
into Montana, rushed to the gold field
This resulted in the establishment of
several rival stagelines, which did a
transcontinental business Out Of all
these two became great lines, that Of
Ben Halliday and the line Of Russell,
Majors and Waddel.
There was intense rivalry between
these two lines, each attempting to
cut the time schedule below the other
In this strenuous effort many horses
were driven to death. Majors drove
his coach from Salt Lake to Leaven-
worth, a distance of 1900 miles, in
10 days. Ben Halliday then drove
coach over the same route in eight
days, the trip costing him in dead
horses and wrecked equipage, $4,000.
But it was a great feat and attracted
as much attention at the time as
nonstop airplane flight around the
world would attract in these more
modern times.
California. then in the heyday Of
its placer gold excitement, was willing
to put up thousands of dollars for
more speedy connections with the east
ern United States, and everything pos
sible was done to encourage quicker
mail communications. Russell, Majors
and Waddell were asked to establish
the pony express. Russell and Majors
opposed it, but Waddell favored it and
finally won his partners over to the
Stations Every 10 Miles
Stations were established across the
continent along the route of the ex-
press every 10 miles between Placer
vile, Calf, and st. Joseph, Mo. At
each of these stations there were re-
lay horses of known speed, and stables
and men to care for them. In April,
1860, from both terminals, the winged
riders Of the pony express made their
start
Most of the riders were young men,
sometimes little more than boys,
skilled horsemen who could stay In
the saddle all day and far into the
night. They rode at top speed, not a
gallop but q run, the horse being
Kept at a speed that could be main
tanned for the entire 10 miles. FIRE.
1uently riders would make $50 miles
D day. When q rider would reach a
station he would transfer his mail
pouch from one horse to the fresh
snatch a little nourishment
and in two minutes was on his way.
He rode for IL hours, and while he
was sleeping another rider, with q
fresh string Of horses, would be speed
ing through the long hours of the
hight
The postage rate was at first SIS per
half ounce, and later, when the sue
,eSS of the undertaking was apparent,
md with some government subsidies,
The rate was reduced to 81. One rider
vas scalped by the Indians, but his
morse finished the trip and came into
he relay station with the mail bags
fastened to the front of the saddle.
That did not deter the man who was
% substitute for the dead rider. With
)ut a moments consideration he
his relay and dashed away.
Twain Wrote Of Express
Mark Twain thus wrote Of the ex-
press rider:
Here he comes Every neck is |
stretched further and every eye
strained wider Away across the end
ess level of the prairie black spot |
appears against the sky, and 1t Is |
plain that it moves. Well, I should
,hink so.
'In a second or two, it becomes a
horse and rider, rising and falling, |
Using and falling, sweeping towards |
IS, nearer and nearer, growing more
md more distinct, more and more |
'lutter of the hoops comes family to
he ear. Another instant and a hoop |
md a hurrah from the upper deck, q |
wave Of the riders hand but no reply, /
md the man and the horse burst past
'ur excited faces and are winged away
Ike the belated fragment Of storm"
Cody Rode With Express
William F. Cody, Buffalo Bill" was
IN express rider, and once distin-
pushed himself by making a round
rip of 321 miles without stop, except
or meals, in "a hours, the murder
+ the man and horse whose place
lie was taking making the long trip
Necessary.
The system spread all over the west,
happening as fast as the railroad
ushed its bands of steel into various
ections of the wilderness. 1t was in
Sc In remote places as late as $780,
------S>----
South Africa police are rounding nm