October 28 The Pony Express

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.