Riders of the Pony Express - Softcover

Moody, Ralph

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0803283059 ISBN 13: 9780803283053

Publisher: Bison Books, 2004

Synopsis

Prior to the Civil War, the fastest mail between the West Coast and the East took almost thirty days 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 between San Francisco and the farthest western railroad, in Saint Joseph, Missouri—across two thousand miles of mountains, deserts, and plains—guaranteed in ten days or less.

Russell hired eighty of the best and bravest riders, bought four hundred of the fastest and hardiest horses, and built relay stations along a central route--through modern-day Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada, to California. Informed by his intimate knowledge of horses and Western geography, 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.

About this title

About the Author

Ralph Moody (1898–1982) is the author of Come on Seabicuit! as well as the Little Britches series about a boy's life on a Colorado ranch, all available in Bison Books editions.

From the Inside Flap

"[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." Booklist. "No boy or girl (or adults either) will want to lay down this play-by-play account of each rider's stint. . . . The many vivid drawings and the clear and detailed maps add much to the effective demonstration." San Francisco News. "A true adventure story in which the period comes alive." San Francisco Chronicle.

Prior to the Civil War, the fastest mail between the West Coast and the East took almost thirty days 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 between San Francisco and the farthest western railroad, in Saint Joseph, Missouri across two thousand miles of mountains, deserts, and plains guaranteed in ten days or less. Russell hired eighty of the best and bravest riders, bought four hundred of the fastest and hardiest horses, and built relay stations along a central route--through modern-day Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada, to California.

Informed by his intimate knowledge of horses and Western geography, 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.

Ralph Moody (1898 1982) is the author of Come on Seabicuit! as well as the Little Britches series about a boy's life on a Colorado ranch, all available in Bison Books editions.

Edition details

• Publisher: Bison Books
• Publication date: 2004
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0803283059
• ISBN 13: 9780803283053
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 184