by Donna Schlachter
Most people know something about the Pony Express, but few realize it only operated from
April 1860 through to November 1861. The first ride left St. Joseph, Missouri heading west, and
from Sacramento, California heading east, on April 3rd, 1860.
The idea for a Pony Express was conceived in the minds of its owners because of the possibility
of winning the contract for the overland US mail. Another company, Butterworth, was running a
southern route that took up to three weeks to deliver to the west coast, and Majors and Waddell
thought they could beat that time by taking the shorter northern route.
The time period, 1860, fascinates me as there were so many changes happening in America. The
train is a dream; the cross-country telegraph is nearing completion; the country is brewing for
civil war; women are campaigning for voting and civil rights.
Within a few short years, cameras will photograph war for the first time, telephones will be installed in people’s homes, and electricity will light our lives into the dark of night.
When the final rider left Sacramento in November 1861, carrying letters going east as far as St.
Joseph, Missouri, the company was already about $600,000 in debt. Although the project was
well-conceived and well-executed, it was never designed as a long-term system. And when the
Overland Express lost its bid to garner the mail contract, the company ended up merging with its
competitor Butterworth to deliver mail that kept the country united through the coming war and
for many years to come.
Schlachter’s latest release, Hearts of Midway is available here.
Donna Schlachter
A hybrid author, Donna writes squeaky clean historical and contemporary suspense. She has been published more than 60 times in books; is a member of several writers groups; facilitates a critique group; teaches writing classes; and judges in writing contests. She loves history and research, traveling extensively for both, and is an avid oil painter. She is taking all the information she’s learned along the way about the writing and publishing process, and is coaching committed career riters.
