Old waybills: The romance of the express companies

by Alvin F. Harlow

Fascinating history of American express companies which transmitted letters and packages by pony, stage coach, and railroad before being largely supplanted by trucks and planes. Covers from earliest days -- even before Alvin Adams and William F. Harden -- through the California expressmen who delivered to the gold fields, the Pony Express, the Overland stage, use of express services during the Civil War, express service to the Klondike during the Gold Rush, and the development of carriage by railroad. There is an excellent analysis of the business aspect of these private companies -- how they maintained their privacy for decades and developed a profitable business model until the US government created the Parcel Post mail service. There is also a serious discussion of the famous robbers who attacked stagecoaches and trains -- such as the James brothers, the Younger brothers, the Dalton brothers, Black Bart, John Sontag and Chris Evans -- who they were and how they operated. 504 pages with index.

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1976