Riders of the Pony Express

by Ralph Moody

Prior to the Civil War, the fastest mail between the West Coast and the East took almost thirty days by stagecoach along a southern route through Texas. Some Californians feared their state would not remain in the Union, separated so far from the free states. Then businessman William Russell invested in a way to deliver mail between San Francisco and the farthest western railroad, in Saint Joseph, Missouri—across two thousand miles of mountains, deserts, and plains—guaranteed in ten days or less. Russell hired eighty of the best and bravest riders, bought four hundred of the fastest and hardiest horses, and built relay stations along a central route--through modern-day Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada, to California. Informed by his intimate knowledge of horses and Western geography, Ralph Moody's exciting account of the eighteen critical months that the Pony Express operated between April 1860 and October 1861 pays tribute to the true grit and determination of the riders and horses of the Pony Express.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Historical, Westerns, Horses, Childrens, American History

184 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Ralph Moody was an American author who wrote 17 novels and autobiographies about the American West. He was born in East Rochester, New Hampshire, in 1898 but moved to Colorado with his family when he was eight in the hopes that a dry climate would improve his father Charles's tuberculosis. Moody detailed his experiences in Colorado in the first book of the Little Britches series, Father and I Were Ranchers.

After his father died, eleven-year-old Moody assumed the duties of the "man of the house." He and his sister Grace combined ingenuity with hard work in a variety of odd jobs to help their mother provide for their large family. The Moody clan returned to the East Coast some time after Charles's death, but Moody had difficulty readjusting. Following more than one ill-timed run-in with local law enforcement, he left the family home near Boston to live on his grandfather's farm in Maine. His later Little Britches books cover his time in Maine and subsequent travels through Arizona, New Mexico, Nebraska, and Kansas—including stints as a bust sculptor and a horse rider doing "horse falls" for motion pictures—as he worked his way back toward Colorado while continuing to support his family financially.

Moody's formal education was limited, but he had a lifelong interest in learning and self-education. At age 50, he enrolled in a writing class, which eventually led to the publication of Father and I Were Ranchers. In addition to the Little Britches series, Moody wrote a number of books detailing the development of the American West. His books have been described as crude in the language of the times but are highly praised by Moody's readership and have been in continuous publication since 1950.

After a period as livestock business owner in rural Kansas, Moody sent to Massachusetts for his former sweetheart, Edna. They married and moved to Kansas City. They had three children.—Source

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a complete & thorough history, but it is a fast moving, extremely interesting overview of the Pony Express - why it was formed & died. The bulk of the book concentrated on the first ride which allowed the author to go into more detail about the riders, conditions, & horses. That leaves plenty of room for further research, but most of us won't want to. I wanted to know a little bit about this short-lived, fantastically-dangerous, murderously-fast race 2/3 of the way across the continent (1900+ miles) that was done in a mere 10 days.

I really appreciated how the author handled the overview & dates. While he was precise, he put them in perspective. I've read other articles on the Pony Express before, but never one that was so cohesive & engaging. This is a perfect book for a teen or even a pre-teen to read on the subject. Good for older folks, too.

The Pony Express was only around for about a year & the rides were some of the most incredible ever made. The efforts put out by all concerned were so far over the top that I had trouble believing them. Men faced almost certain death & incredible hardship with a dedication that is generally reserved for war heroes & martyrs. They were certainly heroes. (No, Wild Bill Hickcock & Buffalo Bill Cody weren't among them, although some accounts say they were.)

The Long Rider's Guild site has a good article on one of the very best riders, Pony Bob, here:
http://www.lrgaf.org/journeys/pony-bo...

If you want to read about more heroic rides:
http://www.lrgaf.org/rescues.htm

It is a great book, short & to the point. It was well read & altogether a joy. Since it was an audio book, I had no map but my own mind & that isn't too accurate. This site has a great map that can be downloaded as well as a modern one if you ever want to traverse the route on your own.
http://www.nps.gov/poex/planyourvisit...

[Shiloah · Rating 4 out of 5]

We first listened to this while homeschooling and living in Germany 2015.
The second reading was after visiting a site in Casper, WY where the Pony Express passed through.

[Elisabeth Harmon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a great read aloud. We read just a chapter a day most days end it felt episodic and helped keep the riders stories separated.

After the race was completed I went ahead and finished the book. With a kid curled at my side groaning as the descriptions of injuries were played out... it seem character building and impactful for one particular 10 year old...

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

My boys really got caught up in the drama of the California riders vs the plains riders. We also loved how much took place in Nevada and made us want to retrace the pony express route.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very interesting and informative. Blows out of the water a lot of misconceptions. The pony express although so short lived is very intriguing. Then to hear the stories of its riders brings it to life. Great book.

[Bonny McRoberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

We read as part of our lessons for 4th grade CA State History. This was much better than a textbook to learn about The Pony Express. But having said that, it was difficult to keep track of who was who, which horse was which horse, and what direction the riders were going. There was just too much back and forth between the western riders and the eastern riders.
And so much geography, which could have been great if we were taking our time and mapping out the route as we went along. I would recommend doing that if you do read it.
We just wanted to listen to the story though, and all the times and places were confusing and distracting.

[Frances N. Svoboda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captured the courage and awe of the amazing days of the Pony Express

If there's one thing a book should be when the subject is The Pony Express is thrilling and exciting. Ralph Moody has surely done that. I'm not sure how there could really be such documented detail about each trip, but there was probably a lot passed down at that time. And it is certainly true of Indian trouble, and treacherous weather. I love his writing style. I highly recommend this book. My ten year old daughter read it with me and loved it!

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a short read but very entertaining and informative.

Some people complained in their reviews about the amount of time that the writer spent on the initial race where the Pony Express did it’s first run, but I think that’s a great feature of this book.

When I found this nonfiction book I was actually looking at what fiction books I could find focused on the Pony Express (specifically available as audiobooks through my library), so the story like way of writing about the events of the race and a few other moments in the Pony Express history was right on the money for me.

Pony Bob is my new favorite Pony Express rider, sorry Little Joe Cartwright from Bonanza, you’ve been dethroned.

[Krystal 🦢 · Rating 4 out of 5]

We listened to this as a family in one sitting on a long car ride home from out of state. We enjoyed Little Britches by the same author when we read it a few years ago, and were happy to give this one a shot. We were all engrossed with the story from start to finish. Ralph Moody is a great story teller and he does a good job making this piece of non-fiction read like a Wild West adventure tail. I learned a lot of things I didn’t know about the history of the Pony Express.

[Darcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this with my daughter. By focusing on the first ride of the Pony Express and the race between the Eastern and Western riders, Moody turns this history into an exciting adventure story. I really like Moody's writing style as well; his descriptions are clear and lyrical, with the flavor of the West coming through in the dialogue and details. His books are one of my favorite discoveries of 2024.

[Julie Kleinman bollinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read with my boys and I loved that it was entertaining and interesting yet also taught some very good values. ie. What is a really "good" man? We also learned a bit about why this very brief interlude in history was actually quite important and how it impacted the entire history of the United States.

[Cala · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulously written, story-like narrative of the actual riders of the Pony Express. This book follows the timeline of the first "eastern" riders and "western" riders, highlighting the competition of the very first Pony Express run. I read this to myself, but I imagine it would be a great read aloud for older elementary even up to high school. Highly recommend and I would read it again.

[RoseAnn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I chose this book to read with my grandsons hoping for a telling of history gone by.

The last few chapters offered some interesting historical perspective but the book was mostly just a droning play-by-play account of each leg of the cross-country journey.

It was hard to keep the characters straight and even the maps were confusingly unhelpful in tracking the progress.

[Pauline · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this book aloud. It was quite interesting and I leaned some new things about the Pony Express. We plan to visit some Pony Express stations on our cross country trip this Fall. Ralph Moody writes well and tells a good story.

[Christi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun, short read of the very first few runs of the Pony Express. I listened to the audiobook and it was good. You basically ride along with the men running the mail. It's not in-depth, it's a travelogue. Definitely worth the read if you are studying or learning about it.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a great history told from the perspective of a fine horseman. I learned a lot about the pony express and have an even greater appreciation of its part in the history of the U.S.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical but exciting. Great and a quick listen as an audiobook.

[Angela Bergeron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had heard about the pony express, but I had no idea it was so short lived and so dangerous.

[Anna-Grace Heinzel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting... history of the pony riders... some gripping details and hair raising stories...

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moody writes great action that involves horses. The book seemed a bit loosely assembled. It’s like a series of stories about pony express riders.

[Kay Schrock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Ralph Moody book.

[E. Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent fast-paced biography about the legendary men and horses that ran the Pony Express.

[Cyndi · Rating 5 out of 5]

In just a few short months a group of very young men on the fastest horses made history. This is a wonderful story that takes their stories and brings them to life.

[Emily McKee]

Old fashioned, but solid and quick read. 8 year old son really enjoyed this.

[John S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detailed and Exciting

Good read gives you a great feel of what it was like to be a rider in the Pony Express

[Kari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't have been interested in this book if I'd read it any younger...but since at this point I've read Moody's autobiographical books, and I know about him and his family now, and I can appreciate his particular touch on this story, and I know the geography he's talking about a lot better than I did as a little Eastern kid, this was great! I still actually don't know that readers who usually go more for people-oriented books, like me, rather than books more filled with figures, animals, or geography, like some kids, would like this book before their late high school years, but liking it as I do, I could see myself endeavoring to read it to my young kids someday in what I perceive to be an exciting way, and then we'd see what comes of that project.

[Starry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was secretly disappointed my kids chose this book for our read-aloud time instead of any one of the many favorites I offered them. Yawn. This one sounded boring. But both kids are absolutely riveted by the tales of adventure and danger and a race across the Western United States.

I found it necessary to give some background information on the treatment of Native Americans so that my kids could understand why the "Indians" attacked Pony Express riders and why the negative image shown here is only part of the whole story.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is wonderful! It begins with the conception of the pony express, the staggering expenses, the difficulties in taking it from idea to reality, and most importantly, the reason for its existence. The book tells the true story of each of the first pony express riders and the harrowing routes they rode between St. Joseph, MO and Sacramento, CA. A very fast and interesting read, I would have finished this book in a single day if I hadn't selected it as a read-aloud book for my 11-year old boy (he read a chapter every school day).

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay. Those may have been tears in my eyes and a cracking in my voice as I read this aloud to my kids. But they pretended not to notice.

My kids thought this book would be boring, but no one wanted me to stop reading once we were a chapter into it. This is a fascinating account of the first riders of the Pony Express and really shows what people can do when they put their minds to it! American Determination at it's best!!!

[Katt Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I'm not always quite sure of the historical accuracy, and this book certainly is a long way from political correctness, can I state here that I loved the action and adventure of story? From start to finish the story was exciting and much as my kids were not interested in the Pony Express when we started, they had an admiring sort of respect for those riders afterwards. As did I.