The Saga of the Pony Express

by J. J. Dicerto, Joseph J. Di Certo

"Wanted--Young skinny, wiry fellows not over eighteen. Must be expert riders, willing to risk death daily... Orphans preferred."--Pony Express poster, 1860



America in the mid-1800s was a land of burgeoning cities, westward expansion, economic optimism, and political turmoil. Threatened by civil war and Indian uprisings, the government needed better communication with its far-flung citizens in the West. Three visionaries dreamt up a seemingly impossible the Pony Express. An elite cadre of young riders would carry the U.S. mail across 2,000 miles of inhospitable wilderness in 10 days. For a brief yet crucial time, the system worked, until scandal--and the arrival of the telegraph--ended it.



Against a backdrop of colorful characters chasing great dreams and greater adventure, The Saga of the Pony Express brings the legendary mail service to life. Separating truth from myth, it covers the route, the horses, the hard-driving supervisors, and the talented young riders such as Wild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill Cody, who shrugged off pain and sneered at danger. Meticulously researched yet anything but dry, this book takes a fresh approach to a topic previously limited mostly to scholarly writings--Di Certo entertains and informs.



Complete with dozens of illustrations, several maps, and appendixes of riders and relay stations--including stations the reader can still see today-- The Saga of the Pony Express proves there's a reason some legends endure.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History

245 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2002

Reviews

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, short history of the short-lived Pony Express, the riders, and the posts across the West.

[Shelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent resource. I've read and studied several Pony Express books. This is my go-to source with all my highlights and notes in the margins.

[David Welch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a history of the much romanticized Pony express, a mail-relay system that ran from Missouri to California in 1860-61. Despite never being profitable, and only running for eighteen months, the enterprise has become one of the most revered pieces of old west mythology. The author, however, focuses on the factual history of the actual company, and does a great job digging into the details. You get the build-up, the entire circuit of stations the riders ran through, the exciting stories of riders (facing nature and angry Paiutes, mostly), the tragedies (again, most from the Paiutes), and the ultimate collapse of the company. He even traces the development of the transcontinental telegraph that would put the service out of business. Some familiar names appear. Buffalo Bill Cody rode for the express for a while, and Wild Bill Hickcock had some involvement. All told, a well-written history. About the only downside was that two long chapters were dedicated to recounting the route, station-by-stations. And there were so many...I can understand, from a history standpoint, why the author had to do this. He definitely gets down on paper all the places involved in the endeavor, but those two chapters didn't make the best reading. The rest more than made up for it though.

[Todd Smith]

This book is filled with details about the Pony Express, which was the mail service that was done by horse-mounted riders from April 1860 to Oct. 1861. It relates how it began and who were the business leaders who invested in hiring riders, buying horses and creating way stations along the way. Just the idea of the mail being handed off from one rider to the next is pretty amazing.

Some of the famous riders such as Wild Bill Hickok or Buffalo Bill Cody are talked about and the dangers they faced and a little history of their lives.

Not only the famous ones, but also many of the lesser-known ones and how they faced blizzards, Native American attacks and even robbers trying to stop the mail from being delivered or stealing from them.

The book also relates its downfall from the telegraph to the coming Civil War and a scandal.

I enjoyed this book and learning about the people who started it and the riders who faced the possibility of death as they rode. It is an amazing story shared in the book.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Saga of the Pony Express by Joseph Di Certo provides a high level overview of the Pony Express company and its 18ish month run across the west. This book does a great job of covering the salient points and giving enough detail for context without being laborious. The two most famous riders Wild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill Cody are covered it detail as are some of the lesser-known members who made an impact delivering the mail. The routes, stations, homes, and dangers of the west at the time are well covered. Although the venture was doomed from never making money it has written its way into the ethos of the American West and lives on codified in history for its daring runs. From native American attacks to being waylaid by bandits there were dangers a plenty on the trail. Well worth the read if you have an interesting the American west.

[Jon Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased my copy of this book in paperback at the Pony Express National Museum in St. Joseph, MO when visiting the museum in March 2025. This book provides a comprehensive history of the short-lived but famous mail service that operated for an 18 month period in 1860 and 1861. The circumstances that led to the formation of the Express are covered, along with biographical sketches of the founders. The organization and staffing of the operation are covered, along with details about the way stations and a description of the geography covered across the 1800 mile route. The author provides some vivid accounts of the dangers faced by the Express riders: weather extremes, rugged terrain, dangerous wildlife, bandits, and conflicts with Native American tribes. I learned quite a lot and found the book to be well worth the time spent. Four out of five stars.

[stephanie suh · Rating 5 out of 5]

19th Century America was rapidly expanding her territory to the west with the growth of population therein. So the inception of a rapid mail service across the continent to deliver important business transactional documents, letters of importance both private and governmental, and newspaper articles was inevitable. But it was a risky business to do because crossing the continents at that time meant a perilous adventure fraught with hostile Indians, highwaymen, treacherous desert weathers and temperature, and other unforeseeable elements indicating danger.

This book by Mr. DiCerto tells the reader of historical and cultural backgrounds on which the birth of The Pony Express as a joint venture William H. Russell, Alexander Majors, and William B. Waddel were was founded against the odds. The United States as a young nation in the world started to mark herself as a burgeoning western country with booming commerce and increasing population on a vast land in comparison with the European counterparts. In this book, the author explains about how the Pony Express came to exist despite its short lifespan (April 3rd 1860 ~ October 1861) with the advent of the transcontinental telegraphic system.

The author also provides us with personal accounts of the fearless young riders of the Express and their work routine, work conditions, and their interesting anecdotes., all of which are based upon veritable document records with pictures. The book is never a bore with the scintillating discourse of the historical context smacking of wits and love of the subject matter by the author who, in fact, asserts that this book is his child out of a long labor of love and passion for this awesome enterprise in the American history.

[Jodi Yost · Rating 3 out of 5]

I knew about the Pony Express, but not much. It was interesting to find out more details.

[Midnights · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty good for a nonfiction book. seems pretty thorough too.

[Robert G. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected more, but remain in awe of the history of the Pony Express