Cold Open

It’s May, 1860, in the Ruby Valley of Nevada.

Fourteen-year-old Billy Tate races across the sunbaked plains on the back of his horse. The wind whips dust through his hair as he desperately wills the beast on faster and faster.

Billy is a mail carrier. But while most letters take weeks or even months to cross the country, Billy rides for the Pony Express, which promises to deliver mail from Missouri to California in just 10 days flat. So, Billy is used to riding fast. Still, right now, speed may be the difference between life and death. 

Over the past few weeks, fighting has broken out between the indigenous Northern Paiute people, and white settlers who have encroached on their territory. The Pony Express route now takes its riders through these contested lands, and Billy has just been spotted by a band of Paiute warriors, who are giving chase on horseback.

Billy continues to urge his horse forward, but he can tell it’s tiring. He glances behind him. The Paiute are excellent riders and, on ground this flat, Billy realizes there’s no hope of outrunning them. So, he has to try something else. Yanking on the reins, he veers his horse toward an outcrop of rocks.

Billy jumps down from his saddle, grabs his six-shooter from the mailbag… then he pushes his horse away from him, slapping it on the rear. The rider-less steed tears off across the plain as Billy retreats into the rocks.

Taking cover, Billy carefully loads his gun. He can hear the Paiute warriors closing in.

He peers carefully from behind the rock, takes careful aim, and fires.

There is a splash of blood, and one of his pursuers crashes from his horse. Billy ducks back down behind the rock as a hail of arrows peppers the ground around him.

Billy grips his revolver tight. He’s got eleven bullets left. And if he’s going to make it out of this alive, he’ll have to make every shot count.

Billy Tate’s body will be found three days later, riddled with arrows. He took seven Paiute warriors with him, but in the end, there were just too many of them. As for his horse, it arrived at its destination with its mail intact, preserving the reputation of Billy’s employer – the legendary Pony Express, which rode out for the first time, on April 3rd, 1860.

Introduction

From Noiser and Airship, I’m Lindsay Graham and this is History Daily.

History is made every day. On this podcast—every day—we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world.

Today is April 3rd, 1860: The Pony Express.

Act One: On The Road

It’s the summer of 1854, in Leavenworth, Kansas, six years before Billy Tate’s final journey.

40-year-old businessman Alexander Majors inspects a line-up of new employees. The men in ragged clothes in front of him have all signed up to be wagon riders for Alexander’s freight company. It’s potentially dangerous work, but the men are mostly poor enough that they’re willing to accept any risk in exchange for a job.

Each worker stands to attention as Alexander places a Bible in their hands and instructs them to repeat his company's oath.

The oath was written by Alexander himself. He wants his employees to conduct themselves in a gentlemanly manner, not swearing, drinking, or gambling. And after all men have sworn their oath, Alexander tells them to board their wagons and get to work. They have mail to deliver.

Born in Kentucky in 1814, Alexander Majors knows the heartlands of America like few others. As a young boy, Alexander’s family was constantly on the move, and he saw first-hand the importance of supply points for migrants and pioneers heading west in search of fame and fortune.

So when he was old enough, Alexander started his own wagon freight business. He moved goods along the Santa Fe Trail, a network of trade routes linking Missouri with New Mexico. And in so doing, Alexander soon made a name for himself. His wagons were reliable, secure, and most importantly they were fast.

But now, in the summer of 1854, Alexander has more work than he can handle. For the past year, he’s had an agreement with the U.S. government to supply various army posts along the Santa Fe trail. But as the army expands, Alexander is falling behind on his deliveries for the very first time. If he’s going to hold onto his government contract, he knows he needs help

He finds it in William Russell and William Waddell. Like Alexander, these two businessmen are also in the freight business, and by combining forces, Alexander hopes that together they can serve more customers and make more money than ever before. The deal is complete by Christmas 1854, and the new company of Russell, Majors, & Waddell sets its sights on expansion.

With the additional drivers and wagons available after the merger, Alexander is able to make his deliveries to the U.S. Army on schedule. And impressed, the War Department offers him more contracts. Soon, Russell, Majors, & Waddell establishes a monopoly on all freight transport west of Missouri. But although the government contracts are lucrative on paper, politicians don’t always keep to their side of the bargain. Payments are often late, and, as a result, Alexander’s new company starts falling behind on its bills.

The three business partners have different ideas about how to handle their cash flow problems. While Alexander and Waddell are in favor of reducing costs and focusing on what they already have, the more ambitious Russell doesn’t want to stand still. He’s heard about another government contract to deliver mail across America, and it’s potentially worth a fortune.

Convinced that this contract might save the company, William Russell lobbies hard for the deal. But the government officials responsible for the contract all tell him the same thing: Russell, Majors, & Waddell needs to prove itself first, by starting its own cross-country mail service.

Russell is enthusiastic about the idea. But his partners are less convinced that it’s the best way forward. They know that mail businesses struggle to turn a profit. And this is no ordinary service that Russell is suggesting. He wants to establish an express delivery business that would take letters from Missouri to California in just ten days—twice as fast as any existing services.

To Alexander and Waddell, Russell’s idea sounds like it’s designed more to grab headlines than to make money. The average American citizen won’t be able to afford the cost of sending express letters across the country, and without customers, any business is doomed. So, they tell him, “No.”

But Russell has already signed contracts that commit them to the new service. Alexander and Waddell are furious. But they know that if they back out of the deals Russell has signed, it risks ruining all their reputations. They feel they have no choice but to find a way to make the endeavor work. So, in the winter of 1860, Alexander Majors and William Waddell agree to finance the new venture.

In just a few months, the Pony Express will ride out for the first time. Across endless prairies, scorching deserts, and treacherous mountain passes, its riders will risk everything to deliver their cargo of letters. Some will never return. But those who do will help create a legend that will etch its name into the history of the American West.

Act Two: I Would Ride 10,000 Miles

It’s just before 7 PM, on April 3rd, 1860, in St. Joseph, Missouri.

Waiting outside the town’s train station, 20-year-old Johnny Fry checks the saddle on his horse, Sylph. From the hotel down the street, Johnny can hear the sounds of a loud party. It seems like the entire town has gathered to celebrate the launch of The Pony Express, a new Trans-American mail service. But while everyone else is drinking and having fun, Johnny has to remain sober. He’s due to ride the first stage of the Pony Express route to the West Coast tonight. But he can’t go anywhere just yet.

Johnny and Sylph should have been on the road hours ago, but the train delivering the mail to St. Joseph has been delayed.

It’s taken considerable investment and planning to get The Pony Express to this point. Its backers, Alexander Majors, William Russell, and William Waddell, have poured everything into the venture. It was conceived by Russell to prove that their company could handle a government contract to deliver mail. So, their cross-country express service needs to be a success.

And the three businessmen have considered their plans for months. The route between Missouri and California is over 1500 miles long—no single man or horse could cover that distance alone. So instead, the mail will be carried in a relay system. Horses will be changed every fifteen miles. And riders will swap every hundred. To minimize weight and maximize speed, the men will carry nothing but the mail, a flask of water, and a gun.

Russell, Majors, & Waddell charge customers roughly $5 a letter, the equivalent of three or four days’ wages for most folks, and a staggering fee in comparison to the regular mail.

But even with those prices, it will be hard for the Pony Express to make much money. The service will have to run at full capacity just to make a profit. But, even if they don't break even, Alexander Majors, William Russell, and William Waddell hope it might still be worth it if the Pony Express successfully secures them a lucrative government contract.

But the very first ride is waiting on the train. Finally, hours behind schedule, the overdue locomotive arrives in St. Joseph, and the Pony Express workers quickly begin to package up the mail for Johnny Fry.

While he waits, Johnny climbs onto Sylph and canters up and down the street, entertaining the crowd. Then, at exactly 7:15 PM, with the letters secure on Johnny’s saddle, a large cannon is fired and a cheer erupts. Johnny Fry is on his way.

Determined to make up for the train delay, Johnny races flat out toward Cottonwood Springs Station, the first stop in the relay. Inside his bag are 49 letters, 5 private telegrams, and several newspapers. Among the letters is a message from U.S. President James Buchanan to the Governor of California. The President writes what a huge success the Pony Express could be and offers his congratulations to all involved.

And just five hours later, Johnny Fry makes it to Seneca, Kansas. That’s where his journey ends—but the mail he carries has much farther to go. In Seneca, Johnny passes over his bag to the next Pony Express employee, a 16-year-old rider named Don Rising. Don continues the journey west, racing through the night and arriving in Marysville, Kansas just after 8 AM. The first two Pony Express riders have covered 140 miles in little over half a day.

On and on the riders run, making the halfway point of the 1800-mile journey in Salt Lake City. Bad weather slows the riders down on the seventh day, but by the final scheduled run, the Pony Express is only a few hours behind.

On April 13th, 1860, huge crowds gather in Sacramento to greet the final rider. And as promised, the mail has arrived in California exactly ten days after it left Missouri.

Alexander Majors, William Russell, and William Waddell have proved the Pony Express can live up to its promises. Now, all they can do is wait to find out if the enterprise will be a commercial success, and become the answer to their deepening financial woes.

Act Three: Election Coverage

It’s November 7th, 1860, in St. Joseph, Missouri, seven months after the first mail was delivered by the Pony Express.

The first-ever Pony Express rider Johnny Fry is ready to set out again. But it’s no ordinary delivery. The messages in Johnny’s bag today, will inform those further West of who has won yesterday’s Presidential election and been declared the 16th President of the United States.

As he ties the mailbags to the horse’s saddle, Johnny sneaks a look at one letter. Written on the envelope are four words, each underlined: “Election news. Lincoln elected.”

Johnny climbs onto his horse with a smile—because he wanted Abraham Lincoln to win. And once he has the all-clear, Johnny and Sylph dash off to spread the word of Lincoln’s election triumph.

By now, the Pony Express is seen by the public as a huge success. As the most direct way of delivering messages from Missouri to Sacramento, and all the places in between, the Pony Express can’t be beat. But as a business, it's a failure. The prices are just too high for most people. And as founders Alexander Majors and William Waddell feared, the mail service barely makes a profit. What’s worse, it doesn’t even convince the government to award them the contract they were after.

The outbreak of the American Civil War in April 1861 further disrupts the business, but the real death knell comes from the emergence of a new technology. In October 1861, a transcontinental telegraph line carries its first message across America at almost instantaneous speed. Overnight, the Pony Express is rendered obsolete, and just two days later, Alexander Majors, William Russell, and William Waddell bring the curtain down on their audacious enterprise.

The Pony Express only lasted around 18 months and never made a profit. But the tales of its daring riders are never forgotten. Men like Johnny Fry braved freezing mountain ranges, hostile Indigenous tribes, and the unforgiving heat of the desert—all to deliver the mail faster than ever before. Their exploits were told and retold over the years, and the Pony Express became a legend of the Old West, with the first ride on the night of April 3rd, 1860.

Outro

Next on History Daily. April 4th, 1924. Paranoid about rivals within the Nazi party, Adolf Hitler establishes an elite security force that answers to him alone. 

From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily, hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham.

Audio editing by Muhammad Shahzaib.

Sound design by Gabriel Gould.

Supervising Sound Designer Matthew Filler.

Music by Thrumm.

This episode is written and researched by Owen Paul Nicholls.

Edited by Joel Callen.

Managing producer Emily Burke.

Executive Producers are William Simpson for Airship, and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.