Episode 683: The Pony Express: Madmen on Mustangs!

On this episode of the Sofa King Podcast, we travel back in time and look at the Pony Express. The Pony Express ran for only a year and a half, but was such an epic adventure that it still lives on as part of the mythology of the Old West. In 1860, several business men developed a system of riders going nonstop with mail, only pausing to eat and swap for a fresh horse. It was a dangerous job, especially since it took place in the middle of the Paiute War! Before the express, it took almost a month for mail to go from East Coast to West. With the Pony Express, it took only ten. So, how much did it cost? How dangerous was it? What famous Western figures were part of it? Why was it important when Lincoln became president? Listen, laugh, learn.

Visit Our Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pony_Express

https://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-the-pony-express

https://www.nps.gov/poex/learn/historyculture/index.htm

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/537885/facts-about-pony-express

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/pony-express-debuts

https://www.ponyexpress.org/copy-of-quick-facts