Leslie and David's Wanderings: 5 September 2020 The Pony Express

We returned to St. Joseph today to visit the Pony Express Museum. The Museum is housed in the building which was the 1858 stables for the eastern terminus of the famous Pony Express. The first pony express run was on 3 April 1860. Johnny Fry was the first westbound rider of the relay. He rode 80 miles of the trail, which covered almost 2,000 miles. Local legend says that at a farm close to Cold Springs, several young ladies would wait for Johnny Fry to pass so they could hand him cakes and cookies. The cakes and cookies were shaped like doughnuts to make it easier for him to catch and hold while riding. Riders set off from both the eastern and western ends of the Central Trail between St. Joseph, MO and Sacramento, CA. Riders rode between 75 and 100 miles, changing horses roughly every 10 miles. The fastest delivery time was 7 days, 17 hours. In the summer, delivery averaged 10 days and in the winter 12-16 days. Cost was $5 for a half pound letter. A maximum of 20 pounds of mail would be carried by a single rider. Riders rode through summer heat and winter blizzards for the 1,996 mile trail. Over 190 riders were hired, 480 horses used across the route, and stations established for changing horses and resting riders every 10-15 miles. Other methods of delivery took three weeks to two months. The Pony Express shut down in October 1861after the telegraph was finally extended to California (The final mail packet was not delivered until mid November). The Pony Express went bankrupt shortly after the first telegram was sent coast to coast on 24 October 1861. It wasn’t until 1868, when the railroad was finally linked coast to coast, that the speed of mail delivery was matched. A rather ignominious ending to the iconic Pony Express. The Museum was quite interesting and well worth the $7 entrance fee. We were surprised that many of the riders lived into their 80s. We were also surprised by how many converted to Mormonism during their early lives. On the way back to the Wanderer we decided to check out one of the local wineries. We stopped off at Jowler Creek Winery, about 6 miles from where we are staying. It was a hot and humid afternoon, but we picked out a couple of wines to try and enjoyed sitting in the shade and watching people. A great way to spend a hot sunny afternoon. It reminded us of our favorite winery, Lost Oak, in Texas. We ended up buying a couple of bottles of wine to take with us.