Pony Express and Mail Routes

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CALIFORNIA: PONY EXPRESS AND MAIL ROUTES San Francisco Clark’s San Mateo John Butterfield, the founder of the Redwood City Mt. View American Express Company, convinced San Jose San Luis the U.S. government to grant him 17 Mile House Ranch Gilroy Lone Willow The Butterfield Overland Pacheco Temple’s $595,000 annually for carrying mail California Pass semi-weekly from St. Louis to San Mail Route Firebaugh’s Fresno City Elk Horn Spring Kings River Station Francisco. Service began on September San Francisco Cross Cr. Visalia 15, 1858 and normal delivery took 25 Tipton Packwood Tule River days. In California the ‘Butterfield St. Louis Fountain Springs Overland Mail Route’ came under some Mountain House Missouri Poso Cr. controversy as Northern Californians Gordon’s Ferry felt the route heavily favored Southern Los Angeles Arizona Kern River Slough Oklahoma Sink of Tejon New Arkansas California. Mexico Colberts Ft. Smith Ft. Tejon Ferry Reed’s Ft. Yuma Tucson French John’s Franklin Widow Smith See route (El Paso) Hart’s detail to right Mission San Fernando Ft. Chadbourne Cahuenga El Monte Los Angeles San Jose Chino Ranch 100 mi Texas Temescal Laguna Grande Aguanga 100 km Temecula Oak Grove Warner’s Ranch San Felipe Vallecito Palm Springs Carrizo Cr. Pilot’s Ft. Yuma Knob Indian Wells Cook’s Well Alamo Mocho Few images of the American West capture the imagination so vividly as the Pony Express. With the hope of earning a government subsidy, William Russell, Alexander Majors, and William Waddell Lake Bigler Wyoming (Tahoe) launched the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Ft. Laramie Company. The Pony Express was a subsidiary of that famous Ft. Bridger Nebraska freight and stage company. Delivery by Pony Express was indeed See detail to left Salt Lake Julesburg City Ft. Kearny fast for the time, averaging 10 days. But the Pony Express lasted Ft. Churchill only 16 months. It failed to make money, and was eclipsed by the Fridays Station Sacramento St. Joseph (Edgewood) San Francisco Nevada Utah Colorado transcontinental telegraph line completed on October 24, 1861. Kansas Johnson’s Yanks Pass (Echo) (Meyers) Moore’s Strawberry Station Woodfords Webster’s Luther California (Sugar Loaf) Pass r Sportsman’s e iv Hangtown R Pleasant (Placerville) Folsom Grove House n Mud Springs ca 15 Mile (El Dorado) ri The Pony Express e Station m A Morman 30 mi 5 Mile Tavern Sacramento Station 30 km © Maps.com.

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The Cultural History Of
THE KIRKWOOD INN THE CULTURAL HISTORY OF HELP PRESERVE THE PAST Kirkwood Station, as it was originally called, soon became a hostelry, post office and stagecoach Remember, as you explore the Kirkwood region you depot, which served many travelers through the are entering a historic area. You may find relics of KIRKWOOD Sierra in the late 1800's. In 2019, the Kirkwood the past and wonder how they got here. Inn celebrated its 155th year of friendly western hospitality. By leaving these items as you found them, you will CALIFORNIA leave in place clues that could help us answer these very questions. If you take artifacts home with you, or move them to other spots, you may destroy clues to the past. Every artifact is not merely something to be held and examined, it is also a piece of a puzzle which, when put together with other pieces, allows us to unravel the mysteries of the past. Please treat all historic and archaeological sites with care and respect when you visit them. The remains of prehistoric and historic cultures are a part of our Reno heritage. When artifacts are stolen and archaeological 80 Truckee 395 sites are destroyed, we lose important clues about the 80 89 Today the Inn is a popular restaurant and bar 50 Tahoe City past, forever. Strict laws protect artifacts and sites on Carson City located at Kirkwood’s entrance on Scenic California 50 Gardnerville state and Federal and Native American lands. Report 99 Auburn So. Lake Tahoe State Route 88. The Inn sits on the point where 49 88 395 80 89 violations to your local law enforcement or land 5 50 Alpine, Amador and El Dorado counties’ boundaries Placerville Sacramento 50 management agency.
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“Bronco” Charlie Miller Born 1850 – Died January 15, 1955 Plot 6 Lot 22
“Bronco” Charlie Miller Born 1850 – Died January 15, 1955 Plot 6 Lot 22 Charlie H. Miller was born between two buffalo robes in a covered wagon out west in Shasta, California in about 1850. His Father and Mother were a part of a 300 wagon train heading for Fort Sutter and the gold rush. His father had worked as a suit maker for Lord and Taylor and his mother had been a school teacher. At 11 years old, Charlie was hired as a Pony Express rider. As the story goes, Charlie and his father were in Sacramento, the western terminus of the pony Express, when the rider less horse with the bloody saddle came in. The Superintendent called for a volunteer to ride the mail to Carson City and Charlie was in the right place at the right time. And so, Bronco Charlie, Pony Express Rider was born. There were 240 riders and Charlie was the youngest. You had to be small and hardy to ride, you could weigh but 125 pounds. It was a brutal route from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California. The Pony Express only was in operation from April 3, 1860 to October 1861. He was such a young man that it made him famous, as he was known throughout the whole United States. After Charlie’s stint in the Pony Express he went from town to town running riding stables, breaking horses and living an adventurous life for 20 years. During his 20’s, his parents were captured and scalped by Indians. In 1844 he had come east and met the great Teddy Roosevelt.
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Westward Expansion
Westward Expansion What did the United States look like before Westward Expansion? In 1803, Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, purchased 828,000 square miles from France. This was called the Louisiana Purchase and it contained all of present-day Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, parts of Minnesota that were south of the Mississippi River, most of North Dakota, nearly all of South Dakota, northeastern New Mexico, northern Texas, the portions of Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado east of the Continental Divide, and Louisiana on both sides of the Mississippi River, including the city of New Orleans. Before the Louisiana Purchase, the United States had only 13 states. Why did President Jefferson make such a huge purchase? The main reason President Jefferson purchased this land is that New Orleans was the main port for trade. This port was used for storing export items (items leaving the United States), and it was used for importing goods from other countries. The United States was under constant threat of having this port taken away as a means of trading, so he thought it would be best for the country if he purchased it. What did Thomas Jefferson decide to do with the rest of land purchased? Since this was new land to the United States, no one really knew what was out there. President Jefferson organized an expedition to go out and explore the new land in the west. This expedition was lead by Lewis and Clark and it began in 1804. Lewis and Clark kept journals of their exploration and made maps of all of the places they went to.
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Pony Express Pony Express National Historic Trail
Pony Express Pony Express National Historic Trail National Park Service Bureau of Land Management Official Map & Department of the Interior Forest Service Guide - Large Print Department of Agriculture Formatted for ADA standards at 11” x 17” print size. The pony-rider was usually a to get a message from little bit of a man, brimful of President James K. Polk spirit and endurance. to California. By the —Mark Twain late 1850s a half million people had migrated Overland Mail West, and they wanted The idea behind the Pony up-to-date news from Express, a horseback home. Something had to relay mail service, goes be done to deliver mail back to at least ancient faster and to improve Rome and Persia. In communication in the 13th-century China expanding nation. Marco Polo described a [captions] “system of post-horses Russell, Majors & Waddell in 1860: by which the Great Khan Entrepreneurs of the Pony Express. sends his dispatches.” A mochila fit over the saddle. Four, locked pockets held mail. Bible inscribed: “Presented Oregon missionary by Russell, Majors & Waddell.” Marcus Whitman in 1843 Johnny Fry, 1860, one of first westbound Pony proposed using horse riders. © Joseph Museum, Mo./Russell, Waddell, relays to deliver mail Fry, saddle and mochila; © Majors Historical Foundation/Majors; © Joe Nardone Collection/ from the Missouri River Bible to the Columbia River © St. Joseph Museum, Mo./stamps signature. © Wells Fargo Bank/poster, © Gilcrease in 40 days. But in 1845 Museum, Tulsa, Okla./Coming and Going of it still took six months the Pony Express, 1900, Frederic Remington Rev. 02/01/13 News from Home! The government struggled to improve transcontinental mail service.
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Online Resources for Westward Expansion
ONLINE RESOURCES 1 FOR WESTWARD EXPANSION RESEARCH The Erie Canal 1. National Geographic – Creating Canals (video): http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/national-geographic-channel/shows/the- link/ngc-creating-canals/ 2. History.com – videos: Building the Erie Canal (2:39): http://www.history.com/videos/transcontinental-railroad#building-the-erie-canal The Gold Rush 1. PBS.org – map of the largest strikes: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/goldrush/map/index.html 2. History.com – videos: The Gold Rush (2:37): http://www.history.com/topics/american-history/videos#gold-rush Carpenter’s Discovery Triggers Gold Rush (3:15): http://www.smarturl.it/History.com-GoldRush The Homestead Act 1. PBS.org – Frontier House video clips: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/frontierhouse/ Lewis and Clark 1. Discovering Lewis and Clark: http://www.lewis-clark.org/ 2. National Geographic: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lewisandclark/ 3. Kids Know It: Educational video with quiz: http://www.kidsknowit.com/interactive-educational-movies/free-online- movies.php?movie=lewis%20and%20clark 4. National Geographic: Sacagawea: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0302/feature4/index.html 5. History.com- videos: http://www.history.com/search?search-ﬁeld=Louisiana+Purchase&asset- type=Videos 6. Lewis and Clark Expedition (1:46): http://www.history.com/videos/lewis--clark- expedition-charts-new-territory#lewis--clark-expedition-charts-new-territory 7. Lewis and Clark Campsite (2:57): http://www.history.com/videos/lewis-and-clark- campsite-at-pompeys-pillar#lewis-and-clark-campsite-at-pompeys-pillar May be reproduced for classroom use. © 2013 by Lucy Calkins and Colleagues from the TCRWP from Units of Study in Opinion, Information, and Narrative Writing (ﬁrsthand: Portsmouth, NH).
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Pony Express Gazette 2020
Pony Express Gazette FT. LARAMIE WYOMING FT. KEARNY JULESBURG NEBRASKA FT. CHURCHILLRUBY STATION SALT LAKE CITY COLORADO UTAH ST. JOSEPH FRIDAY’S STATION MISSOURI NEVADA SACRAMENTO MARYSVILLE CALIFORNIA KANSAS Volume 31 THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL PONY EXPRESS ASSOCIATION April 2020 Nohe Department Revision of the Interior significance, tofeasibility, suitability,the and Ponyroute through maps or Expressjournals, and offer feasibility study NHT(which was combined has transmitted to Congress the desirability (eligibility) of adding certain significant potential for public recreation- with the California National Historic Revised Feasibility and Suitability additional routes to the four existing al use. Trail feasibility study) found the Pony TStudy for Additional Routes of the Oregon, Historic Trails. The three sections evaluated for the Express to be nationally significant as “the Mormon Pioneer, California, and Pony The transmittal of a feasibility study to Pony Express NHT were: nation’s most direct and practical means Express National Historic Trails. Congress does not imply that lawmakers • An 8 mile section from Wathena, of east-west communications before the The National Park Service completed will designate any of the study routes or Kansas to Troy, Kansas. telegraph.” The Pony Express “proved the the study according to Public Law. The that any funding and staffing would be • A 22 mile section of trail between feasibility of a central overland transpor- purpose of the study was to evaluate the authorized. Congress will decide whether Atchison and Kennekuk in Kansas. tation route and demonstrated that such to designate any of the study routes for • 93 mile route - 1850 Golden Pass a route could be used year-round, thus addition to one or more of the four parent Road in Utah showing that a cross-country railroad trails.
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Pony Express
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National Trails Map3
Note: Abbreviations at right National Park System National Forest System Fish and Wildlife Service Bureau of Land Management are for federal lands shown on this map. In many places, Mount Baker exact trail locations have not NF yet been determined. Portions of the trails indicated on this MEM Memorial NP National Park NF National Forest NWR National Wildlife Refuge North Okanogan NB National Battlefield N PRES National Preserve NG National Grassland Cascades NF map may not be accessible for NP public use. Please check with NHP National Historical Park NRA National Recreation Area Lake Chelan individual trail clubs and man- NHS National Historic Site NRR National Recreational River Only national park, forest areas, and NRA Trail ends 14 miles north aging offices for the latest NL National Lakeshore N RES National Reserve in Waterton, Alberta wildlife refuges that relate to the SEATTLE available trail locations. NM National Monument NS National Seashore National Trails System are shown. Wenatchee N MEM National Memorial NSR National Scenic Riverway NF Glacier NMP National Military Park PKWY Parkway Map revised September 2007. NP OLYMPIA S E Mount Rainier WASHINGTON Willapa NWR Lake of T NP Snoqualmie the Woods A C A Lewis and Clark Julia Butler Bear Paw ANADA NF Flathead D Battlefield T NHP Hansen NWR 90 NF Lewis UNI A S Gifford TED Lolo and Benton STATES Lewis and Clark NWR Pinchot NF NF N Lake Fort Union D 82 Clark Ul Bend Ridgefield Fort Vancouver NHS A McNary NWR NF NWR Missouri Trading Post E Three Arch NWR Steigerwald Lake NWR NWR NHS C T Rocks NWR Franz Lake NWR Nez Perce GREAT FALLS I PORTLAND Umatilla NHP MISSOULA Columbi NWR Clearwater NORTH DAKOTA N OREGON CITY a NF Pierce Charles M.
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West Lesson 2: History (Part 1) Early People & U.S
West Lesson 2: History (Part 1) Early People & U.S. Explorers Early People: Native Americans ● In the 1500’s-1700’s, the first people living in the West were the Native Americans ● Tribes in the West included: ○ Shoshone ○ Paiute ○ Yokuts ○ Pomo ○ Makah Native American Culture ● Each tribe/group had their own special culture ● The Shoshone and Paiute tribes were nomads (traveled around with no permanent home) ● The Pomo and Yokuts tribes liked in what is now California and made flour for cooking Native American Trade ● Rivers in this region made long-distance travel possible (and faster than having to walk through forests) ● Native Americans used the rivers to trade materials with other tribes ● The Dalles = special waterfall on the Columbia River where many Native Americans would meet to trade goods Exploring the West ● Until the early 1800’s, most people in the U.S. did not know much about the West region ● Until……... Explorers Lewis & Clark ● In 1804, Meriwether Lewis & William Clark led a group to explore the West ● The left from present day St. Louis and traveled up the Missouri River ● They met a Shoshone Native American named Sacagawea, who joined them as a guide ● In 1805, they reached the coast of the Pacific Ocean! Barriers for Explorers ● The Rocky Mountains were a barrier for explorers traveling to the west ● In 1813, some explorers found a pass, or opening, in between the mountains ● They named it the South Pass, located where Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado meet ● This made traveling to the West easier, and began to attract settlers!
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The Pony Express
The Pony Express American transportation pioneer William H. Russell advertised for hostlers and riders to work on the Overland Express Route via Salt Lake City in March 1860. Russell had failed repeatedly to get the backing of the Senate Post Office and Post Roads Committee for an express route to carry mail between St. Joseph, Missouri — the westernmost point reached by the railroad and telegraph — and California. St. Joseph was the starting point for the nearly 2,000-mile central route to the West. Except for a few forts and settlements, the route beyond St. Joseph was a vast, unknown land, inhabited primarily by Native Americans. Many thought that year-round transportation across this area was impossible because of extreme weather conditions. Russell organized his The Pony Express own express to prove otherwise. The legend of the galloping riders of the Pony Express With partners Alexander Majors and William B. Waddell, Russell formed endures, though the service the Central Overland California and Pike’s Peak Express Company. They lasted only 18 months, from April built new relay stations and readied existing ones. The country was 1860 to October 1861. combed for good horses — hardy enough to challenge deserts and mountains and to withstand thirst in summer and ice in winter. Riders were recruited hastily but, before being hired, had to swear on a Bible not to cuss, fight, or abuse their animals and to conduct themselves honestly. On April 3, 1860, the Pony Express began its run through parts of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California. On average, a rider covered 75 to 100 miles daily.
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Pony Express Fast Facts
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Camp Floyd Junior Ranger Booklet
Junior Pony Express Rider Camp Floyd/Stagecoach Inn State Park and Museum Welcome to Camp Floyd/Stagecoach Inn State Park and Museum To become a Junior Pony Express Rider, you will investigate many different places in the park as you do the activities in this booklet with your family and friends. We recommend you start in the museum and then visit Stagecoach Inn. When you have completed this booklet, bring it to the museum. A staff member will give you an official Camp Floyd wooden nickel. The mission of Camp Floyd/Stagecoach Inn State Park and Museum is to preserve, protect and interpret the historical resources in this area. Participating in the Junior Pony Express Rider program is a great way to learn about and help preserve the history at this park. Have fun and enjoy your visit. Camp Floyd/Stagecoach Inn - from civil war to western lore Use these words to complete the following story John Carson Horse 400 General Albert Sydney Johnston Buchanan Civil War 1898 Camp Floyd was established in July 1858 by the U.S. Army under the command of . The army of more than 3,500 military and civilian employees was sent by President to stop a perceived Mormon rebellion. Soon after their arrival, troops settled the Cedar Valley area where _____________ buildings were constructed. The army left Camp Floyd in July 1861 with orders to return east for the emergency. All that remain today are the military cemetery and one commissary building. In nearby Fairfield a two-story adobe and frame hotel was built in 1858 by .
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