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Murder, Marriage and the Pony Express: Ten Things You Didn’t Know About Buffalo Bill
(Smithsonian Magazine, January, 2017)
His adventures were sensationalized in print and the Wild West show, but reality was more complicated—and compelling. -
The Pony Express Was Short-Lived And Costly
(Smithsonian Magazine, April, 2015)
The service only lasted 18 months, but became an important icon of the West. -
A Rare Pony Express Artifact
(Smithsonian Magazine, May, 2010)
A letter that took two years to reach its destination evokes the hazards of the Pony Express.
Pony Express
Topical Reference Page
Pony Express Rider, oil painting possibly by Lloyd Branson (1853-1925)
On April 3, 1860, riders began a relay message service between St. Joseph, Missouri and San Francisco, California. Could the lively crowds that cheered those first riders off on their journey have imagined that decades later this relatively short-lived service would become a lively piece of American popular culture? While the Pony Express itself ended 18 months after its energetic start, its story lived on through wild west shows, dime novels, and movies.
