Ghost Riders of the Pony Express

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Ghost Riders of the Pony Express

• By

Cathy Larsen
Dianne Smith
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WANTED

• Young, skinny, wiry fellows, not over 18.
• Must be expert riders, willing to risk death
  daily.
• Orphans preferred. Wages 25 a week. . .

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
RIDERS
HORSES
ROUTE
MOCHILA
STATIONS
PURPOSE
TIMELINE
INTERESTING FACTS
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Works Cited
RIDERS
HORSES
ROUTE
MOCHILA
STATIONS
PURPOSE
TIMELINE
INTERESTING FACTS
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RIDERS

• Most riders were around 20 years of age
• Youngest rider was 11
• Oldest rider was mid-40s
• Many riders were orphans
• Riders usually weighed around 120 lbs.
• Riders Pay 25 per week
• New riders took over every 75-100 miles
• Riders changed horses about 3 times
• 183 men are known to have ridden for the Pony
  Express

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ROUTE

• Trail length almost 2,000 miles
• St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California
• Through the present day states of Kansas,
  Nebraska, northeast corner of Colorado, Wyoming,
  Utah, Nevada and California
• Only two were states in 1861 Missouri and
  California
• The other states were territories
• Took 10 days to go from St. Joseph, MO, to
  Sacramento, CA

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HORSES

• 600 horses purchased to stock the pony express
  route
• Thoroughbreds, mustangs, pintos, and Morgans were
  often used
• Horses traveled an average of 10 miles per hour
• Horses were exchanged every 10-15 miles.

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STATIONS

• Approximately 165 stations
• Home stations were 65-100 miles apart
• Home stations were used as a rest place for
  riders before they made the return trip to where
  they came from
• Relay (or swing) stations were 12-15 miles apart
• Used for riders to just change horses

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MOCHILA(mo-chee-ya)

• About the size of a saddle blanket
• A single rectangular piece of leather with a hole
  for the saddle horn and 4 pockets (cantinas) to
  hold the mail
• Three pockets were locked with keys only at the
  end of the route, the divisional headquarters in
  SLC, Utah, and at the Army posts along the way.
• Could carry 12-15 lbs. of mail
• The rider would sit on the mochila during the
  ride

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PURPOSE

• Telegraph lines only reached from the Atlantic
  coast to St. Joseph, Missouri.
• The 2000 mile mail route from St. Joseph,
  Missouri to Sacramento, California took 20 days
  by stagecoach (in good weather)
• The fastest pony express delivery was 7 days and
  17 hours
• The Central Overland California and Pikes Peak
  Express Company hoped to gain a million dollar
  government mail contract

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TIMELINE
January 27, 1860
April 3,1860
October 24, 1861
Telegraph completed
Horses bought
First Rider, Johnny Fry, leaves on the Pony
Express going west
Official end of the Pony Express
Riders chosen
First Rider, James Randall, leaves on the Pony
Express going east
Route planned
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INTERESTING FACTS

• One mochila lost and one rider killed
• Cost of mail
• 5.00 per ½ ounce at the beginning
• 1.00 per ½ ounce at the end
• Longest drive was made by Pony Bob Haslam who
  rode 370 miles
• Buffalo Bill Cody was one of the famous riders
  of the Pony Express.

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Works Cited

• Background found at
• http//www.mountedsquadhorses.com/graphics1.htm
• Graphics found at
• Mochilla - http//www.xphomestation.com/mochila.ht
  ml
• Galloping horse http//www.clipart.co.uk/html/an
  im.shtml
• Station - http//www.xphomestation.com/bunkhouse.h
  tml
• Money - http//dgl.microsoft.com
• Map background found at
• http//www.xphomestation.com/frm-maps.html
• Content found at
• http//www.americanwest.com/trails/pages/ponyexp1.
  htm
• http//www.xphomestation.com/
• Pony Express Rider Advertisement found at
• http//www.co.el-dorado.ca.us/stories/ponyexpress.
  html

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