National Park After Dark

Episode 344: Willing to Risk Death Daily: Pony Express National Historic Trail
Hosts: Danielle & Cassie — Audioboom Studios
Date: December 29, 2025

Episode Overview

Danielle and Cassie dive into the legendary (yet brief) saga of the Pony Express, exploring the iconic but short-lived mail system that blazed across the American West. Through a blend of humor, historical context, personal stories, and myth-busting, they unravel how the Pony Express became a symbol of adventure and heroism—despite its business failure, dangerous reality, and the many legends that obscure its true story. The episode is both a celebration of connection across distance and a reminder of the very real perils of the Old West, tied to the National Historic Trail that preserves its memory today.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why We Long for Connection: Then and Now

• Danielle notes how instantaneous global communication is often overlooked (00:02). Contrasts today’s connectivity with the slow, dangerous process of getting news in the 1800s.
  • Quote: “We have always desired connection. And not so long ago ... there was a group of individuals who straddled their horses, stuffed their saddlebags with mail and risked their lives to deliver it.” (01:58)
• Playful lament over how e-commerce “spoils” us with instant delivery versus the waiting of the past (02:39).

2. Setting the Scene: The Story of Richard Cleave and Lincoln’s Election

• Danielle recounts (07:12) Richard Cleave awaiting telegraph news in 1860, ready to gallop west on the Pony Express carrying news of Lincoln’s victory—dramatizing the blend of anticipation and danger.

3. What Was the Pony Express?

• The Pony Express was a mail system run by the Central Overland, California and Pikes Peak Express Company, designed to move mail 2,000 miles in just 10 days—across some of the most unforgiving terrain in America (15:15).
  • Quote: “They promised mail would be delivered across the roadless and largely lawless West at an unheard of speed of just 10 days. ... But that's not because it lasted very long. It was out of business after just 18 months...” (15:15)
• Despite its mythic reputation, it was a financial flop, operating only from April 1860 to October 1861.

4. Who Started It and Why?

• William H. Russell, Alexander Majors, and William B. Waddell sought a government mail contract for big profits (18:11). Modeled after companies like American Express and Wells Fargo’s ventures.
• The Pony Express was a business gamble—its aim for rapid delivery was more about winning a lucrative government deal than public demand.

5. Three Obstacles: Nature, Violence, and Money

Nature

• Riders faced extreme weather—heat, snow up to 20 feet, mud like “pancake batter” (39:54).
• Often young, small, “wiry” riders, required to be expert horsemen—legendary ad: “Willing to risk death daily, orphans preferred.” (31:32)
• Notable story: Johnny Fry, a celebrity rider, and the (debunked) legend of inventing the donut to help him eat and ride (32:00).

Violence

• Outlaws and conflict zones plagued every route. Frontier justice meted out by characters like Jack Slade—who survived a double-barreled shotgun blast, then exacted revenge (47:38).
• Ongoing wars: Mormon Wars, Pyramid Lake War (53:19). The Paiute attack on a station is recounted, with wider violence and repercussions.
• Notable story: Elijah Nicholas Wilson survives an arrow to the forehead and returns to work (55:17).
• Self-defense: Riders got pistols (cost deducted from their pay), but were mainly told to flee danger (47:08).

Money

• $5 to send a letter—2–3 days’ wages at the time, so only the most urgent or wealthy sent mail (29:58).
• The company’s finances were a “house of cards,” involving shady IOUs, unpaid government contracts, and a failed embezzlement plot (58:22).
• Quote: “The service was more popular in theory than in practice, and few paid the relatively expensive postage fees.” (58:22)

6. Fact vs. Legend: The Myth-Making of the Pony Express

• No official company records (lost in a fire), so most tales blend fact and fiction (17:35).
• Mark Twain and, more significantly, Buffalo Bill Cody popularized the Pony Express in Wild West shows, claiming to have been a rider (historically dubious) (65:52).
• “Bronco Charlie” and other figures further muddied the waters, recounting ever-wilder exploits with unreliable details (81:07).

7. Buffalo Bill Cody’s Burial: A Side Quest

• Danielle shares the legend of Cody’s burial—was he secretly buried in Cody, Wyoming after a body swap? The story is probably untrue, but persists (70:55).
  • Quote: “To this day, it remains the largest funeral in Colorado's history.” (80:16)
• The truth most likely: Cody was buried by his own request on Lookout Mountain in Golden, Colorado, in a grave still visited today.

8. The National Historic Trail & Modern-Day Legacy

• The Pony Express National Historic Trail covers 1,800 miles across eight states, designated in 1992 (84:19). It’s not a continuous hiking trail, but marked by traces, structures, and annual re-rides.
• Each year, the National Pony Express Association reenacts the journey, carrying letters by horseback—over 750 riders and 1,000 letters (86:18).
• Modern echoes: For $5–$10, you can send a letter over the route as part of the commemorative re-ride (87:56).
• Over 60% of today’s re-riders are women—contrasting with the all-male cast of the original Express (85:41).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Danielle (00:02): “We take live zoom meetings, facetime, long distance lovers get in fierce comment wars ... In short, much of the world is interlinked ... but that desire is not new.”
• Danielle (31:32): “Wanted: young, skinny, wiry fellows not over 18. Must be expert riders willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred.”
• Danielle on violence (47:38): “In the pony’s eyes, [Jack Slade] was an excellent middle manager.”
• Cassie (43:27): “These poor animals too...” (on horses in deep snow)
• Danielle (53:19): “The last main source of violence along the Ponies route was the simmering conflict between the United States and indigenous groups.”
• Danielle (87:56): “You don’t need to participate as a rider … you can apply to have one of them carry a letter for you and send somebody a piece of mail via this rewrite.”
• Danielle (90:28): “People died, got stuck, went through hell just to deliver the mail. … I think it is something that we take for granted now … but people used to have to wait. 10 days ... and people had to risk their lives to get that text message across.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Setting the Stage: Modern vs. Historical Communication (00:02–06:23)
• Story of Richard Cleave & Abraham Lincoln’s Election (07:12–09:40)
• What Was the Pony Express? (15:15–17:35)
• Obstacles and the Realities of the Ride (29:04–43:27)
  • Famous Ad for Riders (31:32)
  • The Donut Legend (32:00–36:42)
  • Rider Morality Code & Logistics (37:10–39:54)
  • Dangers of the Trail (Weather & Violence) (39:54–47:38)
• Frontier Justice: Jack Slade (47:38–50:36)
• Conflicts with Indigenous Peoples & Pyramid Lake War (53:19–58:22)
• Shady Finances, Downfall of the Pony Express (58:42–61:34)
• Mythologizing the Pony Express—Mark Twain, Buffalo Bill, Bronco Charlie (65:52–84:19)
• Buffalo Bill: Death, Burial Legends, and Legacy (70:55–80:36)
• The Modern Trail, Re-Ride, and Legacy (84:19–89:54)
• Reflection: The Value of Connection (89:54–91:01)

Tone & Style

• Warm, conversational, and humorous—plenty of playful banter and digressions (like the true origins of the donut or the body swap legend).
• Respectful acknowledgment of the complex and often problematic history of the frontier, particularly regarding indigenous peoples.
• A passion for connecting past and present—inviting listeners both to think more deeply about history and to engage with it through trails, re-rides, and letter writing.

For Listeners Who Haven’t Heard the Episode…

This episode is both a fun and thorough look at the Pony Express: you’ll learn not only what it was, but why it mattered, who made it happen, what the real dangers were, and how a brief corporate flop became an enduring symbol of American adventure. You’ll hear wild stories (and debunkings), get tips for seeing or even joining modern day commemorations, and be reminded that the human urge to connect is both universal and timeless.

For more resources, visit the National Pony Express Association, the National Historic Trail website, or check out “The Spirit of the Pony Express” documentary on YouTube.