Pony Express Historic Resource Study

BIRTH OF AN IDEA

The Pony Express certainly was not the first mail service of its type. In thirteenth century China, Marco Polo reported that the great Khan of Tartary and China had "post-stations twenty-five miles apart, and stations for foot carriers three miles apart, on the chief routes through his dominion." Similar ventures were also tried in Europe. Nevertheless, though it was not the first of this type of mail service in the world, it was the first time this type of enterprise had been attempted in America on such a scale. [47]

But when, how, and by whom the American idea for a Pony Express was conceived is still a matter of dispute. There are several versions of who originated the idea.

The generally accepted story behind the origin of the Pony Express is that Benjamin F. Ficklin formulated the idea for a pony express, passed it on to William McKendree Gwin the senior Senator of California, who then passed it on to Russell, Majors, and Waddell, who ultimately fashioned and brought the idea to fruition. Senator Gwin reportedly acquired the idea in 1854, while traveling across the continent from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., via Salt Lake City and South Pass by horseback. Along part of the route, Senator Gwin's traveling companion was Benjamin F. Ficklin, later a general superintendent of the L. & P.P. Express Co. and an "enthusiastic supporter of closer communications with the East." Ficklin passed his enthusiasm on to Gwin, who in January 1855 introduced a bill in Congress, "looking to the establishment of a weekly letter express between St. Louis and San Francisco, the schedule to be ten days, the compensation not to exceed $5,000 for the round trip, and the Central Route to be followed." This bill was never referred out of Committee on Military Affairs. [48]

Years later, according to one story, Senator Gwin approached Russell while he was in Washington, D.C. about starting a pony express over the central route. During the winter 1859, Senator Gwin supposedly befriended W.H. Russell and suggested to him that if the communication time between the East and California could be shortened through a pony express along a central route, increased emigration would follow and perhaps even a transcontinental railroad would be the result. The prospects of augmenting passenger travel along the central route conceivably would help the fledgling C.O.C. & P.P. Express Co. [49] The senator also

laid before him [Russell] the probable closing of the present Southern mail routes [i.e., Butterfield line], and the necessity of finding some other not liable to interference by the South; also the vital importance of quicker communication between the Unionists on the Pacific coast and the Federal authorities. [50]

Won over by Senator Gwin's proposal and the potential for a large mail contract, Russell supposedly convinced his partners to pursue the venture despite many initial objections. [51]

Statements made by Alexander Majors in 1893 confirm this interpretation that Senator Gwin engendered the idea, and that Russell quickly acted on it. In his memoirs, Majors stated that during the winter of 1859, Russell met Senator Gwinn while in Washington, D.C., and that Gwin gave Russell the idea. Knowing that Russell, Majors, and Waddell were currently running a passenger/mail service from Missouri to Salt Lake City, Gwin reportedly asked Russell if "his company could not be induced to start a pony express, to run over its stage line to Salt Lake City, and from there on to Sacramento; his object being to test the practicability of crossing the Sierra Nevadas, as well as the Rocky Mountains, with a daily line of communication." With the feasibility of the route demonstrated, Senator Gwin promised he would ". . . use all his influence with Congress to get a subsidy to help pay the expenses of such a line on the thirty-ninth to forty-first parallel of latitude . . . " [52]

Russell embraced Gwin's idea with zeal, proposing the route to his partners when he returned to Fort Leavenworth. After much persuasion and cogent appeals on the part of Russell, they embraced the undertaking, and immediately went to work to organize the enterprise. [53]

Another version of the story maintains that A.B. Miller, a partner of William H. Russell in a sutler store at Camp Floyd, Utah, and his friend John Scudder originated the idea for a pony express in early 1859. Miller and Scudder conceived the idea while bringing mail to Salt Lake City from St. Joseph. They wrote Russell giving him the specifics and offered to demonstrate their plan. When Russell asked for more details, "they told him their plan was to station relays of fast horses and lightweight riders along the stage routes." [54]

Still yet another version of the story states that the idea for a swift mail delivery along the central route came from Russell's nephew Charles Morehead, Jr., and James Rupe. After returning to Missouri from a mid-winter trip to Utah (November 1857-January 1858), Morehead and Rupe were summoned to Washington, D.C., by Russell. During conversations with Morehead and Rupe and Secretary of War John Buchanan Floyd, Russell postured and discussed the feasibility of a "pony express across the continent." Were this true, then Russell picked up on the thought of developing a California mail contract then, and thereafter sought to compete against the Butterfield Overland Mail Company. If Russell originated the plan, then it follows that he sought to purchase the Hockaday & Company line for this purpose as well. [55]

ORGANIZING THE PONY EXPRESS

We may never know with certainty who "invented" the Pony Express, but historians do know who made the idea of the Pony Express work. From the announcement of the formation of the C.O.C. & P.P. Express Co. or the Pony Express on January 27, 1860, Russell, Majors, and Waddell had approximately sixty days to prepare before they started riders along the route from both California and Missouri. [56]

At the start, several difficult tasks confronted them. To set this project in motion, they first had to select a logical and viable route for the projected Pony Express, along with an eastern terminus for the operation. The western terminus, which was never in dispute, would be Sacramento. Next, they had to organize and construct the stations needed along the route, and to build or repair any necessary roads as well. Third, they had to supply each station with men, horses, supplies, and other equipment. Fourth, they had to hire stationkeepers and riders for the enterprise. Finally, they had to arrange for central offices and agents for the mail. That they accomplished these tasks in a mere two months was testimony to the organizing experience and ability of the partnership of Russell, Majors, and Waddell.

An eastern terminus for the route was not determined until the first week of March 1860, when Russell, Majors, and Waddell chose St. Joseph, Missouri. St. Joseph made a convenient starting point for the Pony Express for several reasons. First, at this time, it was the largest town on this part of the Missouri River. Second, the railroad from the East terminated there, which made it a logical choice. The Hannibal & St. Joseph line reached St. Joseph in 1859, connecting St. Joseph to eastern railroads and telegraph lines. [57] On March 2, 1860, the C.O.C. & P.P. Express Co. signed a contract with several prominent citizens in St. Joseph, "endowing the company with many advantages and concessions," which most likely convinced Russell, Majors, and Waddell to locate there. These concessions included conveying land, furnishing a building for an office, and other considerations. [58]

While the principals of the firm debated the eastern terminus question, the organization of stations, riders, and ponies took place during the winter of 1859-1860. Benjamin Ficklin was put in charge of the entire line, [59] which was split into five divisions, each with a superintendent. The divisions and superintendents were as follows: "St. Joseph to Fort Kearney, A.E. Lewis; Fort Kearney to Horseshoe station, Joseph A. Slade; Horseshoe Station to Salt Lake City, James E. Bromley; Salt Lake City to Roberts Creek, Howard Egan; and Roberts Creek to Sacramento, Bolivar Roberts." [60]

Organizing the stations along the route from St. Joseph to Salt Lake City was relatively easy because the L. & P.P. Express Co. had been running a stage line between these points on a weekly basis. This stage route had "line" stations at varying distances placed according to the difficulty of the terrain, which could also be adapted and adopted for the Pony Express. Generally speaking, the stations were twenty-five to thirty miles apart. The C.O.C. & P.P. Express Co. erected new stations between the older stations of the L. & P.P. Express Co., reducing the distance between stations to ten or twelve miles for the Pony Express. The route and geography from St. Joseph to Fort Kearney was relatively easy for riders, but from there to Salt Lake City the route became increasingly difficult. Joseph Slade was given the task of overseeing the construction of additional stations from Fort Kearney to Horseshoe Station (present-day Wyoming). From that station westward to Salt Lake City, James Bromley organized the route, including hiring "riders, station keepers, and stock tenders, some of whom were Mormons and French-Canadians." [61]

The terrain and organizing stations between Salt Lake City and Sacramento, California, was more difficult than the work east of the Rocky Mountains because the C.O.C. & P.P. Express Co. was almost forced to start from scratch. In early 1860, George Chorpenning still held the mail contract for this route. Chorpenning ran a semimonthly service between Salt Lake City and California for $130,000 per annum. [62] Therefore, the C.O.C. & P.P. Express Co. was obliged to build their own stations and their own road from Salt Lake City to Sacramento. Howard Egan, "noted explorer, frontiersman, and former bodyguard for Joseph Smith," and Bill Roberts, his assistant, were given the task of equipping and building the road and stations between Salt Lake City and Roberts Creek. [63] According to Major's autobiographical account, his men faced extreme hardship (mosquitos, etc.) while building willow roads (corduroy) along the route to the Carson River, most likely through the Humboldt sink area. [64] Fortunately, in May of 1859, Captain James H. Simpson of the United States Topographical Engineers, surveyed a new route from Camp Floyd south of Salt Lake City to Genoa, Nevada. This new route crossed the central Nevada desert instead of following the Humboldt River route, thereby shortening the distance by about 150 miles. By December 1859, George Chorpenning had built several stations along the new route, and the C.O.C. & P.P. Express Co. had done so as well. [65]

During the early spring of 1860, the C.O.C. & P.P. Express Co. sent out wagon trains with building materials and supplies to construct the needed relay stations along the entire route between St. Joseph and Sacramento. Supply trains originated from Leavenworth, Denver, Salt Lake City, and Sacramento along with work crews to locate and construct stations along the route. It is not known with certainty how many stations were in place by April 1860, when the Pony Express made its first run. One source states that there were 119 stations, with a "home" station every 75 to 100 miles apart so a rider could rest before returning in the other direction. Another source reported that in the beginning, the pony express system had a total of 153 stations and relay posts. [66] Whichever number is correct, certainly additional stations were added and subtracted during the lifetime of the operation.

Even though the C.O.C. & P.P. Express Co. started out in serious financial trouble, they spared no expense in constructing and equipping stations. Among the items sent were "brooms, candles, well wheels or pulleys, buckets, rope, window glass, doors, dishes, tinware for cooking, putty, horse brushes, curry combs, wagon grease, nails, screws, stovepipe, tin safes, scissors, axes, hammers, stovepipe dampers, etc." [67]

Besides equipment, horses were also purchased that spring. According to Alexander Majors, the Pony Express required 400 to 500 horses. [68] During that winter, company agents quietly went about purchasing horses for the Pony Express, paying as much as $200 a head for some stock. The company then distributed these horses along the planned route. [69] For instance, in February, Russell advertised in the Leavenworth Daily Times for "200 grey mares, from four to seven years old, not to exceed fifteen hands high, well broke to the saddle and warranted sound. . . ." [70] In Salt Lake City, pony express agent A.B. Miller bought approximately 200 ponies for the western division. [71] The company most likely kept these horses at the Russell, Majors, and Waddell herd camp in Meadow, Rush, and Porter valleys near Camp Floyd, Utah, before distributing them along the trail from Salt Lake City to Roberts Creek. [72] In California, William W. Finney reportedly bought 129 mules and horses for the company. He then dispatched the stock as far as Eagle Valley. Bolivar Roberts bought horses at Carson City and distributed westward from there to Roberts Creek. [73]

In order to run the Pony Express, the C.O.C. & P.P. Express Co. hired roughly 200 men for stationkeepers and eighty riders for the overland route. [74] Riders had to be "young, good horsemen, accustomed to outdoor life, able to endure severe hardship and fatigue, and fearless." [75] Natives of Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska were hired for the route between St. Joseph and Horseshoe Station above Fort Laramie. Mormons comprised the majority of riders and stationkeepers between Horseshoe Creek and Roberts Creek west of Salt Lake City. [76] Bolivar Roberts, who headed the westernmost division of the Pony Express, hired the riders and stationkeepers for the route west of Roberts Creek to California. [77]

In order to gather and handle the incoming and outgoing mail for the Pony Express route, Russell, Majors, and Waddell established central offices in the East and the West and thereafter hired company agents to manage the business. In New York, messengers and bearers of letters went to the Continental Bank Building at 8 Nassau Street, where J.B. Simpson acted as the company agent. In addition to New York, communications could be delivered to Washington, D.C. (481 Tenth Street), as well as other cities. The company offices and agents were located in Chicago (H.J. Spaulding), St. Louis (Samuel & Allen), Denver (J.B. Jones), Salt Lake City (J.C. Bromley), and San Francisco, where their agent William W. Finley had his headquarters in the Alta Telegraph office at Merchant and Montgomery Streets. William H. Russell, president of the C.O.C. & P.P. Express Co., had his office on Shawnee Street between Main and Second Streets in Leavenworth, Kansas. [78]

With the final route laid out, the stations constructed, the stationkeepers, riders, and company agents hired and in place, the final task was to inform the country and the world of the existence of the Pony Express. That revelation was made on both coasts, but not simultaneously.

The first announcement came on March 17, 1860, when an advertisement appeared in the San Francisco Bulletin announcing "PONY EXPRESS—NINE DAYS FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO NEW YORK." [79] A little over a week later, the announcement came to the east coast. The organizers chose the New York Herald and the Missouri Republican to carry the announcement of this remarkable event. On March 26, 1860, advertisements appeared in these two newspapers that stated TO SAN FRANCISCO IN EIGHT DAYS BY THE CENTRAL OVERLAND CALIFORNIA AND PIKE'S PEAK EXPRESS CO. The advertisements continued:

The first courier of the Pony Express will leave the Missouri River on Tuesday, April 3, at 5 o'clock p.m. and will run regularly weekly thereafter, carrying a letter mail only. The point of departure on the Missouri River will be in telegraphic connection with the East and will be announced in due time....

The letter mail will be delivered in San Francisco in ten days from the departure of the express. The Express passes through Forts Kearney, Laramie, and Bridger, Great Salt Lake City, Camp Floyd, Carson City, the Washoe Silver Mines, Placerville and Sacramento. [80]

Russell, Majors, and Waddell were ready to test their system. The overall outlay of capital for the enterprise was estimated at $70,000. This figure included acquiring and distributing the necessary stock, forage, and provisions for the route. It also was projected that the actual monthly expenses would amount to approximately $5,000 per month. [81] They were ready for the "great race against time."