Riders of the Pony Express
Riders of the Pony Express takes place prior to the Civil War. During this time, the fastest mail between the West Coast and the East took almost thirty days. Furthermore, mail traveled by stagecoach along a southern route through Texas. Some Californians feared their state would not remain in the Union, separated so far from the free states.
Then businessman William Russell invested in a way to deliver mail. His route delivered mail between San Francisco and the farthest western railroad, in Saint Joseph, Missouri. Mail deliverers trekked across two thousand miles of perilous mountains, deserts, and plains. And Russell guaranteed delivery within ten days or less.
Ralph Moody’s exciting account of the eighteen critical months that the Pony Express operated between April 1860 and October 1861 pays tribute to the true grit and determination of the riders and horses of the Pony Express. A vivid portrayal of the courageous, hard-riding men who braved hazardous terrain, foul weather, and hostile Indians to carry the mail via Pony Express.
No boy or girl will want to lay down this play-by-play account of each rider’s ‘stint’. A true adventure story in which the period comes alive, although a bit graphically in the final pages!
