C.W. Guthrie | The Pony Express, An Illustrated History
Published: June 27, 2010
On April 3, 1860, a valiant team of riders was poised for an unprecedented feat: ferrying mail 2,000 miles across the continent in just 10 days. “History was made and legends born,” says Ninemile Valley author C.W. Guthrie in her new book, which explores the daring venture that concluded 19 months later with the completion of the transcontinental telegraph line.
She also chronicles the rise and demise of the Russell, Majors and Waddell freighting empire that financed and organized the Pony Express, and ultimately collapsed because of it.
The 80 riders who were hired for the job, says Guthrie, “were young, determined men with a strong sense of responsibility and a giant measure of grit ….”
Armed with only a Colt revolver, they straddled sturdy mustangs and galloped a grueling 75-100 miles, day or night, through all weather conditions and terrain, sometimes outrunning robbers and hostile Indians. And at the end of the ride, they had to be immediately ready to do it again.
The book’s publication coincides with the 150th anniversary of the first ride. It’s chockfull of archival images and documents, as well as contemporary photos of sites along the trail, taken by Washington photographer Bart Smith.
Guthrie has written five books, including last year’s prize-winning Glacier National Park: The First 100 Years. Her latest was published by Globe Pequot Press, Guilford, CT, and sells for $19.95 softcover.
– Kristi Niemeyer
