Background:
The inauguration of a new service, the Pony Express, on
April 3, 1860, promised the fastest communication ever
from the Missouri River to California. How long did a
Pony Express message take to go from its starting point
in St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California? How
many years was the Pony Express in existence? How many
riders were employed? What hardships did the riders experience?
Finding the answers to these questions and many more like
them captivates youngsters, encouraging them to read about,
imagine, and romanticize an era of long ago.
Pre-Civil War settlers who had already reached California
and its promise of gold found themselves cut off from
the rest of the world. Butterfield Express was an overland
mail route via stagecoach that took twenty-three days
for delivery. Most people knew it was a matter of time
before the telegraph and railroad would span the continent,
but with the Civil War looming in the near future, something
was needed now to replace the existing overland route.
Elementary students can examine primary documents such
as newspaper articles, stories, and letters to understand
how important the Pony Express was for settlers seeking
east-to-west communication in record time.
Aim/Essential Question: Why was the
Pony Express described as an immediate success by Western
settlers but a financial failure for its proprietors?
Motivation:
1. Explain that advertisements were used in the 1860s
to influence people to demand better and faster methods
of communication.
2. Ask how people communicate today.
Objectives:
1. Students will analyze newspaper articles, stories,
and letters to understand the significance of the Pony
Express.
2. Students will create a poster or a power-point presentation
based on their research.
Materials:
1. Annotated Primary Sources and Pony Express History
Sources:
2. Blank poster boards (one poster per group of four
students) and markers
Procedures:
Day 1:
1. Distribute to the students copies of the “MEN
WANTED!” poster and the St. Joseph newspaper advertisement.
2. Explain that the purpose of the advertisement was
to draw public attention to the Central Route in order
to gain a government mail contract for the Central Overland
California and Pikes Peak Express Company. The demand
was to speed communication from the East to West.
3. Discuss the appeal the advertisement and poster
had to the public.
4. Divide students into groups of four and assign each
group one topic listed below. Distribute copies of all
primary documents to each group for analyzation and
ask students to prepare presentations for Day Two that
address their topic’s questions.
Topics
Topic A: Historical Background
1. Who founded the Pony Express and when was it established?
2. Why was the Pony Express established?
3. What investments did the proprietors make to get
the Pony Express in operation?
Topic B: The Riders
1. List three of the earliest riders.
2. What was their base salary?
3. What were their qualifications?
4. What was the average speed of a rider, and how often
did a rider change?
Topic C: The Horse
1. What type of horse was purchased and why?
2. How often were the horses changed?
3. Describe, explain, and provide a picture of the mochila
(saddlebag).
Topic D: The Station:
Provide a brief overview of the following:
1. general physical conditions of the structure
2. sleeping arrangements
3. food served at the stations
4. hospitality of station masters
Topic E: The Route
1. Use a map to point out the states that encompassed
the 1,966 miles of the Pony Express.
2. List the hardships the rider experienced along the
route.
Topic F: Termination of the Pony Express
1. When did the Pony Express end?
2. Discuss the new method of technology that brought
an end to the Pony Express and explain why it was used.
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