Bareback! One Man's Journey Along the Pony Express Trail

by Jerry Ellis

One of the most thrilling Times in American History was the Pony Express Trail stretching almost 2,000 miles from Missouri to California, where pony riders--orphans and teens were preferred for this demanding deadly job--carried mail on horseback and leaped from one animal to the next every 10-15 miles to cover 75-100 miles daily. The Pony Express, however, lasted less than two years, replaced by the trans-continental telegraph. Ellis, an adventurer since his own youth when he ran away from home thumbing from Alabama to New York, retraced the Pony Express Trail by foot, horse, covered wagon, and canoe, to see if that Old West daring and determined spirit was still alive in America today. He did, indeed, find that it was alive and well and itching for the next horizon. From branding cattle to climbing down into the home-hole of Rabbit Man to being made a Brother to the Serpent, Ellis' trek overflowed with bigger than life characters and their stories. Among those were a Wyoming mother and daughter who were national bronc-riding champions. Highly recommended for anyone fascinated by the Old West, adventure, camping, and living free. Book contains numerous historic photographs.

276 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 14, 2019

About the author

Jerry Ellis, Cherokee and Scottish, graduated from the University of Alabama. He was the first person in the modern world to walk the 900 mile route of the Cherokee Trail of Tears, where 4,000 of his ancestors died in 1838: Seven thousand armed US Soldiers marched them from their homes in the SE to present day Oklahoma in the heart of winter. Many of the Cherokee had no shoes. They were buried in shallow unmarked graves. Ellis' book about his trek, WALKING THE TRAIL, ONE MAN'S JOURNEY ALONG THE CHEROKEE TRAIL OF TEARS, was published by Random House and nominated by the publisher for a Pulitzer Prize and a National Book Award. The book was endorsed by Dee Brown, author of BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE. WALKING THE TRAIL was included in two anthologies, one by Norton, and it was quoted in Reader's Digest. Last year it went on display in the National Teachers Hall of Fame. Ellis has lectured about his trek, the book and the Cherokee in Asia, Africa, Europe and USA. He has had four non-fiction history/adventure books published by Random House and has written for the New York Times. He has had five plays produced. His fifth book, CIAO FROM ROMA! SPRING IN THE ETERNAL CITY OF LOVE, is on Kindle at Amazon. His sixth and new book, THE BOY WITH GIANT HANDS, is also on Kindle. Ellis lives in both Fort Payne, Alabama and in Rome, Italy. He has traveled to six continents and speaks Spanish and Italian.

Reviews

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bareback! is a true story told in a very sensitive way about Jerry Ellis's journey following the historic pony express route from beginning to end. I felt so much empathy for the author for the negative times he experienced at the beginning of the book. No wonder the wagon train dwindled to so few participants with such lowlifes in charge.
After the beginning though, the author experienced kindness from so many interesting people along the way. This true story is interspersed with historical facts, which add to the quality of the book.
Since he only rode a horse for part of the trail, I guess the title must refer to the actual express riders back in the day? Read it and come along with him as he walks, drives a wagon, and paddles his way to complete his journey, both camping out and using modern facilities at times while meeting interesting people.