Table of Contents Chapter One Off and Running 5 Chapter Two Growing Pains 11 Chapter Three A Bold Plan 17 Chapter Four The Pony Express at Work 23 Chapter Five Trouble on the Trail 29 The End of the Line Chapter Six 37ﱖﱚﱘ Biographies 42 Timeline 44 Glossary 46 Websites 47 Reference Map 47 Index 48
Chapter One Off and Running A huge crowd gathered in St Joseph Missouri on April 3 1860 Bands played and flags waved in the air Everyone was excited about the first run of the Pony Express Would the plan work Was it possible to deliver mail from St Joseph to California in only ten days The first Pony Express rider was due to leave at 5 00 that evening However the train bringing the mail was late An hour passed then another Finally a steam engine with a single car pulled into St Joseph A man hurried off the train with a bag of mail The bag held letters telegrams and newspapers All were made of thin paper to keep the weight down The mail was quickly wrapped in oiled silk to protect it from rain Riders passed through long stretches of deserted country This section of the Pony Express trail in Nevada still exists today ﱚ5ﱚ
