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02 - Story of the Pony Express by Glenn D. Bradley · Story of the Pony Express

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Speaker 1: Chapter two of the Story of the Pony Express by
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Speaker 1: Glen D. Bradley. This LibriVox recording is in the public
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Speaker 1: domain recording by Roger Moline, Chapter two, Inception and Organization
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Speaker 1: of the Pony Express. Following the discovery of gold in
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Speaker 1: California in January eighteen forty eight, that region sprang into
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Speaker 1: immediate prominence from all parts of the country, and the
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Speaker 1: remote corners of the earth came the famous forty nine Ers.
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Speaker 1: Amid the chaos of a great mining camp, the Anglo
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Speaker 1: Saxon love of law and order soon asserted itself. Civil
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Speaker 1: and religious institutions quickly arose, and in the summer of
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Speaker 1: eighteen fifty, a little more than a year after the
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Speaker 1: Big Rush had started, California entered the Union as a
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Speaker 1: free state. The boom went on, and the census of
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Speaker 1: eighteen sixty revealed a population of three hundred eighty thousand
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Speaker 1: in the New Commonwealth, and when to these figures were
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Speaker 1: added those of Oregon and Washington Territory, an aggregate of
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Speaker 1: four hundred forty four thousand citizens of the United States
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Speaker 1: were found to be living on the Pacific Slope, crossing
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Speaker 1: the Sierras eastward and into the Great Basin. Forty seven
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Speaker 1: thousand more were located in the territories of Nevada and Utah,
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Speaker 1: thus making a grand total of nearly a half million
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Speaker 1: people beyond the Rocky Mountains in eighteen sixty and these
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Speaker 1: figures did not include Indians nor Chinese. Without reference to
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Speaker 1: any military phase of the problem, this detached population obviously
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Speaker 1: demanded and deserved adequate mail and transportation facilities. How to
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Speaker 1: secure the quickest and most dependable communication with the populous
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Speaker 1: section of the East had long been a serious proposition.
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Speaker 1: Private corporations and Congress had not been wholly insensible to
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Speaker 1: the needs of the West. Subsidized stage routes had for
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Speaker 1: some years been in operation, and by the close of
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Speaker 1: eighteen fifty eight several lines were well equipped and doing
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Speaker 1: much business over the so called Southern and Central routes.
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Speaker 1: Perhaps the most common route for sending mail from the
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Speaker 1: East to the Pacific coast was by steamship from New
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Speaker 1: York to Panama, where it was unloaded, hurried across the Isthmus,
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Speaker 1: and again shipped by water to San Francisco. All these
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Speaker 1: lines of traffic were slow and tedious. A letter in
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Speaker 1: any case requiring from three to four weeks to reach
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Speaker 1: its destination. The need of a more rapid system of
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Speaker 1: communication between the East and West at once became apparent,
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Speaker 1: and it was to supply this need that the Pony
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Speaker 1: Express really came into existence. The story that in the
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Speaker 1: autumn of eighteen fifty four United States Senator William Gwynn
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Speaker 1: of California was making an overland trip on horseback from
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Speaker 1: San Francisco to Washington, d c. He was following the
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Speaker 1: Central Route via Salt Lake and South Pass, and during
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Speaker 1: a portion of his journey he had for a traveling
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Speaker 1: companion mister B. F. Ficklin, then General superintendent for the
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Speaker 1: big Freighting and stage firm of Russell, Majors and Waddell
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Speaker 1: of Leavenworth. Ficklan, it seems, was a resourceful and progressive man,
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Speaker 1: and had long been engaged in the overland transportation business.
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Speaker 1: He had already conceived an idea for establishing a much
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Speaker 1: closer transit service between the Missouri River and the coast, but,
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Speaker 1: as is the case with many innovators, had never gained
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Speaker 1: a serious hearing. He had the traffic agent's natural desire
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Speaker 1: to better the exius listing service in the territory which
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Speaker 1: his line served, and he had the ambition of a
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Speaker 1: loyal employee to put into effect a plan that would
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Speaker 1: bring added honor and preferment to his firm. In addition
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Speaker 1: to possessing these worthy ideals, it is perhaps not unfair
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Speaker 1: to state that Fickland was personally ambitious. Nevertheless, Fickland confided
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Speaker 1: his scheme enthusiastic to Senator Gwynn, at the same time
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Speaker 1: pointing out the benefits that would accrue to California should
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Speaker 1: it ever be put into execution. The Senator at once
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Speaker 1: saw the merits of the plan and quickly caught the contagion.
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Speaker 1: Not only was he enough of a statesman to appreciate
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Speaker 1: the worth of a fast mail line across the continent,
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Speaker 1: but he was also a good enough politician to realize
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Speaker 1: that his position with his constituents and the country at
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Speaker 1: large might be greatly strengthened were he to champion the
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Speaker 1: enactment of a popular measure that would encourag the building
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Speaker 1: of such a line through the aid of a federal subsidy. So,
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Speaker 1: in January eighteen fifty five, Gwynn introduced in the Senate
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Speaker 1: a bill which proposed to establish a weekly letter express
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Speaker 1: service between Saint Louis and San Francisco. The express was
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Speaker 1: to operate on a ten day schedule follow the Central route,
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Speaker 1: and was to receive a compensation not exceeding five hundred
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Speaker 1: dollars for each round trip. This bill was referred to
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Speaker 1: the Committee on Military Affairs, where it was quietly tabled
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Speaker 1: and killed. For the next five years, the attention of
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Speaker 1: Congress was largely taken up with the anti slavery troubles
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Speaker 1: that led to secession and war. Although the people of
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Speaker 1: the West and the Pacific Coast in particular continued to
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Speaker 1: agitate the need of a new and quick through mail
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Speaker 1: service for a long time, little was done. It has
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Speaker 1: been claimed that Southern representatives in Congress during the decade
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Speaker 1: before the war managed to prevent any legislation favorable to
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Speaker 1: overland mail routes running north of the slaveholding states, and
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Speaker 1: that they concentrated their strength to render government aid to
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Speaker 1: the southern routes whenever possible. At that time, there were
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Speaker 1: three generally recognized lines of mail traffic, of which the
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Speaker 1: Panama Line was by far the most important. Next came
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Speaker 1: the so called Southern or Butterfield route, which started from
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Speaker 1: Saint Louis and ran far to the southward, entering California
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Speaker 1: from the extreme southeast corner of the state, a goodly
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Speaker 1: amount of mail being sent in this direction. The central
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Speaker 1: route followed the Platte River into Wyoming and reached Sacramento
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Speaker 1: via Salt Lake City almost from a due easterly direction.
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Speaker 1: On account of its location, this route or trail could
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Speaker 1: be easily controlled by the North in case of war.
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Speaker 1: It had received very meager support from the government and
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Speaker 1: carried as a rule, only local mail. While the most
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Speaker 1: direct route to San Francisco, it had been rendered the
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Speaker 1: least important. This was not due solely to congressional manipulation.
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Speaker 1: Because of its northern latitude and the numerous high mountain
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Speaker 1: ranges it traversed, this course was often blockaded with deep
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Speaker 1: snows and was generally regarded as extremely difficult of access
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Speaker 1: during the winter months. While a majority of the people
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Speaker 1: of California were loyal to the Union, there was a
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Speaker 1: vigorous minority intensely in sympathy with the Southern cause and
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Speaker 1: ready to conspire for, or bring about, by force of
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Speaker 1: arms if necessary, the secession of their state. As the
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Speaker 1: Civil War became more and more imminent, it became obvious
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Speaker 1: to union men in both East and West that the
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Speaker 1: existing lines of communication were untrustworthy. Just as soon as
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Speaker 1: trouble should start, the Confederacy could, and most certainly would,
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Speaker 1: gain control of the southern mail routes. Once in control,
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Speaker 1: she could isolate the Pacific coast for many months and
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Speaker 1: thus enable her sympathizers there the more effectual to perfect
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Speaker 1: their plans of secession. Or she might take advantage of
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Speaker 1: these lines of travel and by striking swiftly and suddenly
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Speaker 1: organize and reinforce her followers in California, intimidate the Unionists,
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Speaker 1: many of whom were apathetic, and by a single bold stroke,
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Speaker 1: snatched the prize away from her antagonist before the latter
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Speaker 1: should have had time to act. To avert this crisis,
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Speaker 1: some daring and original plan of communication had to be
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Speaker 1: organized to keep the East and West in close contact
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Speaker 1: with each other, and the Pony Express was the fulfillment
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Speaker 1: of such a plan, for it made a close cooperation
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Speaker 1: between the California Loyalists and the federal government possible until
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Speaker 1: after the crisis did pass. Yet, strange as it may seem,
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Speaker 1: this providential enterprise was not brought into existence nor even
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Speaker 1: materially aided by the government. It was organized and operated
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Speaker 1: by a private corporation after having been encouraged in its
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Speaker 1: inception by a United States senator who later turned traitor
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Speaker 1: to his country. It finally happened that in the winter
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Speaker 1: of eighteen fifty nine to sixty, mister William Russell, senior
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Speaker 1: partner of the firm of Russell, Majors and Waddell, was
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Speaker 1: called to Washington in connection with some governments freight contracts.
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Speaker 1: While there he chanced to become acquainted with Senator Gwynn, who,
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Speaker 1: having been aroused as we have seen several years before,
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Speaker 1: by one of the firm's subordinates, at once brought before
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Speaker 1: mister Russell the need of better mail connections over the
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Speaker 1: Central Route, and of the special need of better communication
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Speaker 1: should war occur. Russell at once awoke to the situation.
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Speaker 1: While a loyal citizen and fully alive to the strategic
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Speaker 1: importance which the matter involved, he also believed that he
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Speaker 1: saw a good business opening. Could his firm but grasp
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Speaker 1: the opportunity and demonstrate the possibility of keeping the Central
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Speaker 1: Route open during the winter months, and could they but
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Speaker 1: lower the schedule of the Panama Line a government contract
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Speaker 1: giving them a virtual monopoly in carrying the transcontinental mail
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Speaker 1: might eventually be theirs. Once hurried west and at Fort
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Speaker 1: Leavenworth met his partners, Messieurs Majors and Waddell, to whom
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Speaker 1: he confidently submitted the new proposition. Much to Russell's chagrin,
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Speaker 1: these gentlemen were not elated over the plan. While passively interested,
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Speaker 1: they keenly foresaw the great cost which a year around
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Speaker 1: overland fast mail service would involve. They were unable to
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Speaker 1: see any chance of the enterprise paying expenses, to say
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Speaker 1: nothing of profits. But Russell, with cheerful optimism, contended that
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Speaker 1: while the project might temporarily be a losing venture, it
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Speaker 1: would pay out in time. He asserted that the opportunity
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Speaker 1: of making good with a hard undertaking, one that had
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Speaker 1: been held impossible of realization, would be a strong asset
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Speaker 1: to the firm's reputation. He also declared that, in his
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Speaker 1: conversation with Gwynn, he had already committed their company to
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Speaker 1: the undertaking, and he did not see how they could,
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Speaker 1: with honor and propriety, evade the responsibility of attempting it.
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Speaker 1: Knowledge of the last mentioned fact at once enlisted the
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Speaker 1: support of his partners. Probably no firm has ever surpassed
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Speaker 1: in integrity that of Russell, Majors and Waddell, famous throughout
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Speaker 1: the West and the freighting and mail business before the
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Speaker 1: advent of railroads in that section of the men, the
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Speaker 1: verbal promise of one of their number was a binding
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Speaker 1: guarantee and as sacredly respected as a bonded obligation. Finding
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Speaker 1: themselves thus committed, they at once began preparations with tremendous activity.
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Speaker 1: All this happened early in the year eighteen sixty. The
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Speaker 1: first step was to form a corporation, the more adequately
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Speaker 1: to conduct the enterprise, and to that end, the Central
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Speaker 1: Overland California and Pike's Peak Express Company was organized under
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Speaker 1: a charter granted by the Territory of Kansas. Besides the
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Speaker 1: three original members of the firm, the incorporators included General
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Speaker 1: Superintendent B. F. Ficklin, together with F A. B. W. W.
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Speaker 1: Finney and John S. Jones, all tried and trustworthy stage
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Speaker 1: employees who were retained on account of their wide experience
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Speaker 1: in the overland traffic business. The new concern then took
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Speaker 1: over the old stage line from Atchison to Salt Lake
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Speaker 1: City and purchased the mail route and outfit then operating
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Speaker 1: between Salt Lake City and Sacramento. The latter, which had
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Speaker 1: been running a monthly round trip stage between these terminals,
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Speaker 1: was known as the West End Division of the Central
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Speaker 1: Route and was called the tro Penning Line. Besides conducting
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Speaker 1: the Pony Express, the corporation aimed to continue a large
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Speaker 1: passenger and freighting business, so it next absorbed the Leavenworth
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Speaker 1: and Pike's Peak Express Company, which had been organized a
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Speaker 1: year previously and had maintained a daily stage between Leavenworth
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Speaker 1: and Denver on the Smoky Hill River Route. By mutual agreement,
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Speaker 1: mister Russell assumed managerial charge of the Eastern division of
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Speaker 1: the Pony Express Line, which lay between Saint Joseph and
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Speaker 1: Salt Lake City. Ficklin was stationed at Salt Lake City,
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Speaker 1: the middle point. In a similar capacity, Finney was made
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Speaker 1: Western Manager, with headquarters at San Francisco. These men now
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Speaker 1: had to revise the route to be traversed, equip it
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Speaker 1: with relay or relief stations, which must be provisioned for
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Speaker 1: men and horses, higher dependable men as station can keeper
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Speaker 1: and riders, and by high grade horses or ponies for
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Speaker 1: the entire course nearly two thousand miles in extent. Footnote.
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Speaker 1: While always called the Pony Express, there were many blooded
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Speaker 1: horses as well as ponies in the service. The distinction
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Speaker 1: between these types of animals is of course well known
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Speaker 1: to the average reader. Probably Pony Express sounded better than
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Speaker 1: any other name for the service, hence the adoption of
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Speaker 1: this name by the firm and the public at large.
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Speaker 1: This book will use the words horse and pony indiscriminately.
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Speaker 1: Between Saint Joseph and Salt Lake City, the company had
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Speaker 1: its old stage route, which was already well supplied with stations.
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Speaker 1: West of Salt Lake. The chorepenning route had been poorly equipped,
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Speaker 1: which made it necessary to erect new stations over much
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Speaker 1: of this course of more than than seven hundred miles.
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Speaker 1: The entire line of travel had to be altered in
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Speaker 1: many places, in some instances to shorten the distance, and
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Speaker 1: in others to avoid as much as possible wild places
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Speaker 1: where Indians might easily ambush the riders. The management was
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Speaker 1: fortunate in having the assistance of expert subordinates. A. B.
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Speaker 1: Miller of Leavenworth, a noteworthy employee of the original firm,
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Speaker 1: was invaluable in helping to formulate the general plans of organization.
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Speaker 1: At Salt Lake City, Fickland secured the services of J. C. Brumley,
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Speaker 1: resident agent of the company, whose vast knowledge of the
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Speaker 1: route and the country that it covered enabled him quickly
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Speaker 1: to work out a schedule and to ascertain with remarkable
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Speaker 1: accuracy the number of relay and supply stations their best location,
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Speaker 1: and also the number of horses and men needs. At
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Speaker 1: Carson City, Nevada, Boulevar Roberts, local superintendent of the Western Division,
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Speaker 1: hired upwards of sixty riders, cool headed, nervy men hardened
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Speaker 1: by years of life in the open. Horses were purchased
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Speaker 1: throughout the West. They were the best that money could buy,
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Speaker 1: and ranged from tough California Cayuses or mustangs to thoroughbred
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Speaker 1: stock from Iowa. They were bought at an average figure
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Speaker 1: of two hundred dollars each, a high price in those days.
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Speaker 1: The men were the pick of the frontier. No more
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Speaker 1: expressive description of their qualities can be given. They were
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Speaker 1: hired at salaries varying from fifty dollars to one hundred
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Speaker 1: and fifty dollars per month, the riders receiving the highest
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Speaker 1: pay of any below executive rank. When fully equipped, the
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Speaker 1: line comprised one hundred and ninety six stations, about four
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Speaker 1: hundred and twenty horses, four hundred station men and assistants,
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Speaker 1: and eighty riders. These are approximate figures, as they varied
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Speaker 1: slightly from time to time. Perfecting these plans and assembling
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Speaker 1: this array of splendid equipment had been no easy task.
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Speaker 1: Yet so well had the organizers understood their business, and
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Speaker 1: so persistently yet quietly had they worked, that they accomplished
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Speaker 1: their purpose and made ready within two months after the
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Speaker 1: project had been launched. The public was scarcely aware of
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Speaker 1: what was going on until conspicuous advertisements announced the Pony Express.
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Speaker 1: It was planned to open the line early in April.
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Speaker 1: End of chapter two, recording by Roger Molin