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Entertainment Topics
Summer Celebrations 3: Family Fun on Little-Known Holidays
Pony Express Tidbits
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Its slogan was “the mail must go through.”
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The trail they rode went from Missouri to California, through the Rockies
and was nearly 2,000 miles long.
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Each horse had to run 12 to 13 miles without stopping.
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The owner had all riders promise they wouldn’t swear. Or drink liquor.
Or fight with other riders.
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The original cost for a letter: $5 per half ounce
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People wrote letters on tissue paper to save money.
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Riders were frequently in danger from Paiute Indians.
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One rider was William Cody, later known as “Buffalo Bill.”
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Another rider, Bronco Charlie, was only 11 when he started. He once finished
his run with an arrow through his hand. (He later fought in WWI at age 64
and lived to be 105.)
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The Pony Express delivered 30,000 pieces of mail, and only one pouch was
ever lost.
— Bruce Van Patter
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