On this day in Labor History the year was 1861.
That was the day that the Pony Express made its last run and passed into legend.
The mail delivery service had lasted only a year-and-a-half, until it folded under competition from the newly completed transcontinental telegraph.
The idea for a faster western mail delivery service came from the owners of the wagon freight company Russel, Majors and Waddell.
At the time the railroad terminated in St. Joseph, Missouri.
The goal of the Pony Express Route was to cover the 2,000-mile route from St. Joe to San Francisco in ten days—half the time of competitors.
Riders would travel between one station and another station on horseback, switching horses as they went.
For this arduous job, the company targeted young men, sometimes in their teens.
The goal was to hire small men to keep the weight low for the horses.
The riders had to sign a pledge not to drink, gamble, fight or swear.
To back up the clean living, they were each issued a bible.
Riders were paid a minimum of $50 per month, in addition to room and board.
The riders faced many hazards from bad weather to thieves.
They often traveled across lands in dispute between the U.S. government and Native Americans, adding potential danger.
The fastest Express delivery ever was Lincoln’s Inaugural address, which made it to California in under eight days.
Perhaps the most famous person who claimed to be a pony express rider, was Buffalo Bill Cody, although it is unlikely he ever carried the mail.
He incorporated the pony express into his Wild West Show, turning the mail service into the stuff of legend
January 10 - The Rise of Settlement Houses
January 9 - Courts Stand Against Workers
January 8 - Oil Workers Walk Out Across the Country
January 7 - Tragic Youngstown Massacre
January 6 - Remembering Ida Tarbell
January 5 - Ohio First to Enact Black Laws
January 4 - Standing Up by Sitting Down
January 3 - The Power of Folded Arms and Marching Feet
January 2 - A Nation Fed Up, Strikes Back
January 1 - Transit Workers Push Back
December 31 - The Fight for Safer Working Conditions
December 30 - The Day Mines Were Made Safer
December 29 - The Day Work Was Made Safer
December 28 - Heroes in Space
December 27 - Musicians Fight Back
December 26 - Garment Workers Rise Up
December 25 - Debs Released; Real Gift is His Message
December 24 - A Christmas Eve Beating for Striking Workers
December 23 - The High Cost of Low Wages
December 21 - Red Scare Deportations Begin
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