The Pony Express in a Nutshell
By Donna Schlachter
Most people know something about the Pony Express, but few
realize it only operated from April 1860 through to November 1861. The first
ride left St. Joseph, Missouri heading west, and from Sacramento, California
heading east, on April 3rd, 1860.
The idea for a Pony Express was conceived in the minds of
its owners because of the possibility of winning the contract for the overland
US mail. Another company, Butterworth, was running a southern route that took
up to three weeks to deliver to the west coast, and Majors and Waddell thought
they could beat that time by taking the shorter northern route.
The irony of the matter is they never won the contract;
instead, they merged with Butterworth to form the Overland Mail Company, and
closed the Pony Express over $200,000 in debt.
My interest in this story came about because I met my friend
Mary Davis at a writers conference, and I asked her what she was working on. At
the time, she was doing the proposal for the book. I said I’d love to be part
of it, but she said she had her authors. Still, I did some research, did a road
trip, and when she emailed a month later to say one author dropped out, I was
ready.
The time period, 1860, fascinates me as there were so many
changes happening in America. The train is a near dream; the cross-country
telegraph is nearing completion; the country is brewing for civil war; women
are campaigning for voting and civil rights. In just a few short years, cameras
will photograph the first war ever; telephones will be installed in people’s
homes; electricity will light our lives into the dark of night.
Despite the changes, one thing is sure: the Pony Express
lives on in our hearts and our folklore much longer than it actually ran.
About Donna:
Donna lives in Denver with husband Patrick, her first-line
editor and biggest fan. She writes historical suspense under her own name, and
contemporary suspense under her alter ego of Leeann Betts. She is a hybrid
publisher who has published a number of books under her pen name and under her own name. Her current release, Echoes of the Heart, a 9-in-1 novella
collection titled "Pony Express Romance Collection" released April 1.
Donna is also a ghostwriter and editor of fiction and non-fiction, and judges
in a number of writing contests. She will be teaching an online course for
American Christian Fiction Writers in June 2017, “Don’t let your subplots sink your story”. Donna loves history and
research, and travels extensively for both.
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/DonnaschlachterAuthor
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/DonnaSchlachter
Books: http://amzn.to/2ci5Xqq
Echoes of the Heart: http://amzn.to/2lBaqcW
7 comments:
Pony Express Romance Collection will be a wonderful read. I remember the historical series, The Journals of Corrie Belle Hollister by Michael Phillips, that included Pony Express riders in the story. The Civil War Era is one of my favorite historical periods to read. Thank you for the giveaway.
Hi Marilyn: thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Good luck in the drawing.
Donna, your historical featuring the pony express sounds fascinating. I'm sure through the years the tales about the unique method of delivering mail have arisen. I'd love to read yours.
Hello June: Yes, the stories are almost as big as the truth about the Pony Express, and so much documentation has been lost over the years because it wasn't considered all that important until recent times. Good luck in the drawing.
I had no idea the Pony Express was such a short-lived venture! Sounds like a fascinating story. Thank you, Laura and Donna.
I can imagine that these stories will be exciting and entertaining. I'm putting them on my "To-Read" list. Best of luck with this series, Donna.
Congratulations to June Foster!
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