𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬. 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐡𝐮𝐠𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲. 𝐈𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝.
𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞, 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞, 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐧. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝. 𝐍𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭.💕
Do you write and mail letters? Send postcards? Receiving letters and cards excite me today! Choosing post cards while on vacation was, and still is, something I love to do. Pen pals were popular when I was growing up. At church we would write and send letters to missionaries across the world. Teaching the parts of a letter was expected at the elementary level. Now, abbreviated text messages are usually delivered within 5 seconds. We can communicate with the world in minutes and seconds. News can be read on a tiny screen with a swipe of a finger.
Step back with me over 150 years ago. It was 1860. A crowd had gathered along a dusty main street of St. Joseph, Missouri. A cannon boomed and a young wiry man on a horse quickly left a stable. He carried a lightweight leather bag (mochila) as he raced to the bank of the Missouri River to be ferried across the river for his great delivery ride! Have you ever asked a young person if they’ve heard of the Pony Express?
Before the telegraph there was a need for faster communication. A steam-clipper ship traveling around South America and Cape Horn took an average of six months delivery time (via the Isthmus of Panama only 4 weeks). Covered wagons along the Oregon or California Trail took four to five months. Even a stagecoach, via the southern route, took 21-25 days. Three businessmen (Alexander Majors, William H. Russell, and William B. Waddell) decided to create a straighter route to the west using a different delivery method-horses (they called their new business the Central Overland California and Pike’s Peak Express Company-simply, the Pony Express).
The company had set up more than 150 stations along an 8-state route. Each station stood about 10 to 15 miles apart. A fresh horse would be supplied at each station; a new rider every 80-100 miles. A superintendent was hired for each five sections the trail was split. How could such an operation make money? It was their goal to earn a million-dollar contract from the federal government (worth $29 million today). Lost money could be recuperated with this contract. Eighty riders and four hundred horses were wanted. The average Pony Express rider was around 21 years old (the oldest likely in his 40’s). Thin and wiry riders were preferred. They made between $100-$150 each month (with free room and board, but comfort it was not). An oath had to be made to not fight with other employees, drink alcohol, or swear (would you be eligible 😉?).
Separating facts from legend can be difficult as several, like “Broncho Charlie” Miller claimed he rode at age 11. Two famous “Bills” associated with the Pony Express were “Wild Bill” Hickok and “Buffalo Bill” Cody. A few historians’ doubt Cody’s claim about being a rider; but undoubtedly, he made the Pony Express famous in his Wild West show. Other famous riders include Johnny Fry (the first rider to leave St. Joseph, Missouri) and “Pony Bob” Haslam (made the longest ride ever-380 miles in 78 hours). Adventures and danger certainly lurked for all drivers. Some lost their lives. Facts and legends have blended.
In March of 1861, the Pony Express carried the text of Lincoln’s Inaugural Address from Nebraska to California in the record time of 7 days and 17 hours. On April 12th, the Civil War began. The Pony Express remained deep in debt and telegraph lines were built to connect the U.S. from coast to coast. By October 1861 messages could travel from New York to San Francisco in minutes. The Pony Express ended just 18 months after it began. The final messages were delivered on November 20th. They never received the million-dollar grant (although the company was asked to continue mail service between St. Joseph and Salt Lake City, receiving $500,000). (John Micklos, 2016) It was too little, too late. Times had changed.
“Cell phones and texting
didn’t exist back then,
The Pony Express used
fast horses and men.”
Faith and Finley Tour the 50!-K.L Hale
(Pony Express National Museum, 2020)
John Micklos, J. (2016). Bold Riders The Story of the Pony Express. North Mankato: Capstone Press.
Pony Express National Museum. (2020). Retrieved from Pony Express National Museum: http://www.ponyexpress.org
The Pony Express National Museum. (2021, July 18). Preserving the Legacy and the Legend. St. Joseph, MIssouri, USA: Pony Express National Museum.
“The Pony Express Museum, Inc., is a private nonprofit organization created in 1990 to interpret, preserve, and promote the legend and legacy of the Pony Express as it originated in St. Joseph, Missouri.”
The glare of the screen will never replace the light of sun. And viewing 1200-1800 pixels on a post will never replace the realness of real. The silence is deafening, and the air grows stale. It was practiced during my day-looking someone directly in the eye. Even nodding your head to confirm their thoughts. Maybe a tilt of the head to display interest. Even a smile to represent the humanness of the verbal exchange. There would be a pause and that meant that the speaker is graciously giving the opportunity for a listener to respond-simply ingenious. It seems now most heads are down. Rarely will you hear one voice speak at a time. But you’ll hear a click or a ding. It’s to notify. Sadly, someone died, happily one was born, someone went there, someone stayed home, someone ate this, someone wears this, and someone did this. Milestones in life celebrated on a screen. These technology talks should bring us closer, so they say. Celebrations of life last the length of your battery. I look up and around. And get out. It’s with nature I have the best dialogue. The two of us prefer face-to-face. Imagine a stare-down contest. Nature always wins. Sometimes I chit-chat with the leaves and squirrels. The trees nod to show they understand me. Clearly, they’re seen as they are and don’t hide from their reality. They only know to exist in truth. They happily accept the changes each season brings. The wind embraces me, and sometimes sings a melody, when it’s time to hug goodbye. “It was great to see you!” and “I’ll see you soon!” can be heard as I walk away. It was a true conversation.
For me, ‘tis better to stroll, than scroll.
