Pony express

The pony express, a system of transport that revolutionized communication. It operated by a rider on horseback traveling across the country until he reached his destination stop. This form of transport was new and enabled people to send mail and receive mail from far distances away. In this essay ill describe the rise and the fall of the pony express, along with its historical significance to the country and the communication world.

The pony express came about in California after the gold rush had occurred. When the gold rush occurred, the need for communicating and package and mail receipt was great. It was great because so many people had moved out there to live and for the new opportunities provided. This being said something had to be done about the mail and communication problem that was being faced on the west coast. This being said the pony express begun in the 1850’s. This system of travel was started by three innovators. These people were William Russell, Alexander Majors, and William Waddell.

When mail was delivered from point a to point b, the communication message or mail or whatever had to be delievered was done so by stagecoach. This was a slow process especially travelling through mountaneous and  Indian  filled regions. This process took 24 days to get from California to st josephs Missouri. The reason why st. josephs was the farthest east was because there had been no telegraph lines past that point. So families wanted to be able to stay in touch with family members out west. William, Majors, and Waddell decieded to use horse back riders instead of a stage coach because it would be much more faster and much more efficient way of communication. When traveling from sacremento to st. Josephs Missouri, the indicated package or message would arrive in ten days, making it the quickest way to send mail in the United States.

The first ride of the pony express happened in April of 1861. When the ride begun there were several hundred stations that were strung out along the country side from California to Missouri. These stations were spread about ten miles apart from each other. This occurred so that no one horse and rider had to go all the way to the destination and back. Instead the initial horse and rider would make their way to the first station and relay the message to another waiting horse and rider and that trend would continue until it reached its destination. They had hundreds and hundreds of riders, the riders got 100 dollars per month which gave people whether educated or un educated skilled or unskilled a job to do that rivaled none.

The pony express had a very short time span though, it lasted from the 1860-1861 and was replaced by a stagecoach company that need stations for passengers that would be travelling west and east. This stagecoach company was then shut down when the telegraph company began making its way across the nation and finally reached the west. When the telegraph had reached the west then it completely replaced the pony express. With this new telegraph communication process had been made even better. It became better because instead of having a team of riders sprint through the country going from point a to point b, someone could sit at a table or desk and receive incoming telegraph messages within a matter of minutes. This also became a very efficient form of communication during the civil war because instead of having to send riders oout, generals on each opposing side could send out messages and other pertinent information to the rest of their men. They could also wire back to their home states and to their respective governments. This was very important during the end of the war when the south was on the verge of losing and the north could begin to figure out what peace talks and surrender terms need to occur. Yes the speed and effectiveness of the pony express had been replaced by something faster. During its time in operation it did more than just its duty and helped out a great many people in the process.

Despite the short span of operation, the pony express is important to both American and communication history. The pony express proved to Americans that the west and the east could be brought together via transportation. This would be proved again when the central and pacific railway would meet in Utah. It also brought about news and mail in a speed that people thought impossible. Because of this the west was able to still be in touch when the civil war broke out and when Abraham Lincoln was elected. Because of the quick communication and early battles that were won by the north California and the gold found in it remained in the north whichw as another key point of significance.

Communication wise the pony express is very important to history because it was the first form of quick long distance communication. As stated before if you wanted a message or package delivered from the west to the east or vice versa it would take a while to receive it. It would take 24 days when it is travelling on a stage coach. However with this new system of communication then people could receive mail and other messages much quicker. Ten days compared to 24 is how long it took. This process of transport for communication was critical to it because it made long distance communication so much faster and efficient. When it was replaced by the telegraph, it had proven to the country the significance it had in effective quick long distance communication. It had proved the way for long distance communication and that process hasn’t slowed down since.

In conclusion the pony express was critical in the history of American and Information technology. A string of riders and horses spread from California to Missouri enabled the most efficient and quick form of communication that the world had seen. The idea was started in the late 1850’s and the first delivery was in 1860. Although replaced by stagecoach companies and eventually the telegraph, the pony express had rode its way into history. It proved the importance of quick communication by transportation is essential to not only our nation but the world. It had reduced mail reception time and provided major news events quickly all over the nation. This is the importance that the pony express had on History and Information technology.

Works cited

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pony_Express
2. http://www.xphomestation.com/facts.html