Queensland is a state of Australia that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean. The state is Australia's second largest by area, following Western Australia, and the country's third most populous after New South Wales and Victoria.

The area was first occupied by Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islanders, who arrived between 40,000 and 65,000 years ago, according to various dating methods. Later, Queensland was made a British Crown Colony that was separated from New South Wales on 6 June 1859, a date now celebrated state-wide as Queensland Day.

The area that currently forms the state capital, Brisbane, was originally the Moreton Bay penal colony, intended as a place for recidivist convicts who had offended while serving out their sentences in New South Wales. The state later encouraged free settlement, and today Queensland's economy is dominated by the agricultural, tourist and natural resource sectors.

The state's population is concentrated in South East Queensland, which includes Brisbane, Logan City, Ipswich, Toowoomba, and the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. Other major regional centres include Townsville, Cairns, Mackay, Rockhampton, Hervey Bay, Bundaberg and Mount Isa.

Queensland is often nicknamed the Sunshine State. Executive power rests with the Premier. Queensland is currently governed by Anna Bligh of the Australian Labor Party, and is the state's and the nation's first popularly elected female premier.

Etymology

The state was named in honour of Queen Victoria, who on 6 June 1859 signed Letters Patent separating the colony from New South Wales. At the time, Queen Victoria was a generally popular monarch, and she preferred an eponymous name for the new colony over ''Cooksland'', which had been suggested by the influential local Presbyterian minister John Dunmore Lang in honour of English navigator James Cook.

History

The history of Queensland spans thousands of years, encompassing both a lengthy indigenous presence, as well as the eventful times of post-European settlement. Estimated to have been settled by Indigenous Australians approximately 40,000 years ago, the north-eastern Australian region was explored by Dutch, Portuguese and French navigators before being encountered by Captain James Cook in 1770. The Australian Labor Party has its origin as a formal organisation in Queensland and the town of Barcaldine is the symbolic birthplace of the party. The state has witnessed frontier warfare between European settlers and Indigenous inhabitants, as well as the employment of cheap Kanaka labour sourced from the South Pacific. June 2009 marked the 150 anniversary of its creation as a separate colony from New South Wales. A rare record of early settler life in north Queensland can be seen in a set of ten photographic glass plates taken in the 1860s by Richard Daintree, in the collection of the National Museum of Australia.

Geography

Queensland is bordered to the north by the Torres Strait with Boigu Island off the coast of New Guinea representing the absolute northern extreme of the territory. The triangular Cape York Peninsula, which points toward New Guinea is the northernmost part of the state's mainland. West of the peninsula's tip, northern Queensland is bordered by the Gulf of Carpentaria, while the Coral Sea— an arm of the Pacific Ocean— borders Queensland to the east. To the west, Queensland is bordered by the Northern Territory, at the 138°E longitude, and to the south-west by the north-eastern corner of South Australia.

In the south, there are three sections that comprise its border: the watershed from Point Danger to the Dumaresq River; the river section involving the Dumaresq, the MacIntyre and the Barwon; and 29°S latitude (including some minor historical encroachments below the 29th parallel) over to the South Australian border.

The state capital is Brisbane, located on the coast 100 kilometres (60 mi) by road north of the New South Wales border. The state is divided into several officially recognised regions. Other smaller geographical regions of note include the Atherton Tablelands, the Granite Belt, and the Channel Country in the far south-west.

Queensland has many places of natural beauty, including: the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast having some of the state's most popular beaches; the Bunya Mountains and the Great Dividing Range with numerous lookouts, waterfalls and picnic areas; Carnarvon Gorge; Whitsunday Islands and Hinchinbrook Island.

The state contains six World Heritage listed preservation areas: Australian Fossil Mammal Sites at Riversleigh in the Gulf Country, Gondwana Rainforests of Australia, Fraser Island, Great Barrier Reef, Lamington National Park and the Wet Tropics of Queensland.

Climate

Because of its size, there is significant variation in climate across the state. Low rainfall and hot summers are typical for the inland west, a monsoonal 'wet' season in the far north, and warm temperate conditions along the coastal strip. Inland and in southern ranges low minimum temperatures are experienced. The climate of the coastal strip is influenced by warm ocean waters, keeping the region free from extremes of temperature and providing moisture for rainfall.

There are five predominate climatic zones in Queensland, based on temperature and humidity:

hot humid summer (far north and coastal)

warm humid summer (coastal elevated hinterlands and coastal south-east)

hot dry summer, mild winter (central west)

hot dry summer, cold winter (southern west)

temperate – warm summer, cold winter (inland south-east, e.g. Granite Belt)

However, most of the Queensland populace experience two weather seasons: a "winter" period of rather warm temperatures and minimal rainfall and a sultry summer period of hot, sticky temperatures and higher levels of rainfall.

The annual mean statistics for some Queensland centres is shown below:

align=center> align=center> align=center> align=center>

		!Min. Temp	!Max. Temp	!No. Clear days	!Rainfall
Brisbane		|	113.1	<
Mackay, Queensland	Mackay		|	123.0	<
Cairns		|	89.7	<
Townsville		|	120.9

The highest maximum temperature observed in the state is 49.5 °C (121 °F) at Birdsville on 24 December 1972 (The temperature of 53.1 °C (128 °F) at Cloncurry on 16 January 1889 is not considered reliable; the figure quoted from Birdsville is the next highest, so that record is considered as being official).

The lowest minimum temperature is −10.6 °C (13 °F) at Stanthorpe on 23 June 1961 and at The Hermitage on 12 July 1965.

Demographics

A smaller proportion of Queensland's population lives in the capital city than any other mainland state. As of June 2004 the capital city represented 45.7% of the population; for the whole country, capital cities represented 63.8% of the total population.

Christian: 70.9%:

* Roman Catholic: 24.9%

* Anglican: 22.3%

* Uniting: 8.4%

* Lutheran: 2.1%

* Other: 13.2%

Non-Christian: 2.3%

* Buddhism: 1.1%

* Islam: 0.4%

* Hinduism: 0.3%

* Judaism: 0.1%

* Other: 0.4%

No Religion: 14.8%

Not Stated: 12.0%

Population trends

On 9 December 2005, the population of Queensland officially reached 4 million. According to Queensland's Office of Economic and Statistical Research the estimated population of the state at the end of 2007 was 4,228,290 which is almost 20% of Australia's total. For many years until 2008, Queensland was the fastest growing state in Australia. At its peak growth in 2007, it was estimated that over 1,500 people moved to the state per week including 1,000 to the southern part of the state alone and the state recorded a TFR of 2.1, the highest since 1977. Queensland's growth rate has since been surpassed by Western Australia).

Urban and rural

30,954 40,306 51,425 95,775 112,323 116,056 168,884 204,871 n.a. 393,666 498,892 660,958 962,400 1,158,446 1,282,332 1,448,024 1,633,141 1,816,382 2,041,542 2,359,510 2,721,115 3,050,553 3,456,104

YEAR	! Urban	! Rural	! TOTAL
1861	15,348	14,711
1864	|	30,513	61,467
1868	|	59,595	99,901
1871	|	68,679	120,104
1876	|	77,508	173,283
1881	|	101,202	213,525
1886	|	206,797	322,853
1891	|	224,834	393,718
1901	|	293,258	498,129
1911	|	n.a.	605,813
1921	|	359,014	755,972
1933	|	444,589	947,534
1947	|	443,570	1,106,415
1954	|	352,888	1,318,259
1961	|	358,394	1,518,828
1966	|	398,297	1,682,688
1971	|	375,376	1,827,065
1976	|	401,754	2,037,194
1981	|	476,264	2,295,123
1986	|	542,944	2,587,315
1991	|	616,907	2,977,810
1996	|	647,735	3,368,850
2001	|	602,697	3,655,139
2006	|	588,945	4,046,875

Economy

Queensland's economy has enjoyed a boom in the tourism and mining industries over the past 20 years. A sizeable influx of interstate and overseas migrants, large amounts of federal government investment, increased mining of vast mineral deposits and an expanding aerospace sector have contributed to the state's economic growth. The 2008–09 saw the expansion slow to just 0.8% the state's worst performance in 18 years.

Between 1992 and 2002, the growth in the Gross State Product of Queensland outperformed that of all the other states and territories. In that period Queensland's GSP grew 5.0% each year, while growth in Australia's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) rose on average 3.9% each year. Queensland's contribution to the Australian GDP increased by 10.4% in that period, one of only three states to do so.

In 2003 Brisbane had the lowest cost of living of all Australia's capital cities. In late 2005 Brisbane was the third most expensive capital for housing after Sydney and Canberra and just ahead of Melbourne by $15,000.

Primary industries include: bananas, pineapples, peanuts, a wide variety of other tropical and temperate fruit and vegetables, grain crops, wineries, cattle raising, cotton, sugar cane, wool and a mining industry including bauxite, coal, silver, lead, zinc, gold, and copper. Secondary industries are mostly further processing of the above-mentioned primary produce. For example, bauxite is shipped by sea from Weipa and converted to alumina at Gladstone. There is also copper refining and the refining of sugar cane to sugar at a number of mills along the eastern coastline. Major tertiary industries are the retail trade and tourism.

Tourism

Tourism is Queensland's leading tertiary industry with millions of interstate and overseas visitors flocking to the Sunshine State each year. The industry generates $4.0 billion annually, accounting for 4.5% of Queensland's GSP. Queensland is a state of many landscapes that range from sunny tropical coastal areas, lush rainforests to dry inland areas.

The main tourist destinations of Queensland include, Brisbane, Far North Queensland including Cairns, Port Douglas and the Daintree Rainforest, Gold Coast, the Great Barrier Reef, Hervey Bay and nearby Fraser Island, North Queensland including Townsville and Magnetic Island, North Stradbroke Island and South Stradbroke Island, the Sunshine Coast and the Whitsundays known for Airlie Beach, Whitehaven Beach, Hamilton Island and Daydream Island.

The Gold Coast of Queensland is also sometimes referred to as "Australia's Theme Park Capital", with five major amusement parks. These are Dreamworld, Movie World, Sea World, Wet 'n' Wild and WhiteWater World.

There are also wildlife parks in Queensland, including: :Gold Coast ::* Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary at Currumbin ::* David Fleay Wildlife Park at Burleigh Heads :Sunshine Coast ::* UnderWater World at Mooloolaba ::* Australia Zoo near Beerwah/Glass House Mountains, home of Steve Irwin until his death in 2006. :Brisbane ::* Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary at Fig Tree Pocket ::* Brisbane Forest Park at The Gap :North of Brisbane ::* Alma Park Zoo at Dakabin ::* Kumbartcho Wildlife Sanctuary (originally Bunya Park Wildlife Sanctuary)

Accommodation in Queensland caters for nearly 22% of the total expenditure, followed by restaurants/meals (15%), airfares (11%), fuel (11%) and shopping/gifts (11%).

Transport

Queensland is served by a number of National Highways and, particularly in South East Queensland, high quality motorways such as the M1.

Principal rail services are provided by Queensland Rail and Pacific National, predominantly along the coamajor ports including the Port of Brisbane and subsidiary ports at Gladstone and Townsville.

Jet Vehicle services are Provided by Greenhouse Energy, Queensland Transport, Department of Main Roads, Defence Force Reserve of Queensland, Brisbane Jet Taxi and Australian Jetlines, Predominatly along the Airports, including the Brisbane Airport, Gold Coast Airport and Cairns Airport.

Brisbane Airport is the main international and domestic gateway serving the state. Gold Coast Airport, Cairns International Airport and Townsville Airport are the next most prominent airports, all with scheduled international flights. Other regional airports, with scheduled domestic flights, include Great Barrier Reef Airport, Hervey Bay Airport, Mackay Airport, Mount Isa Airport, Proserpine / Whitsunday Coast Airport, Rockhampton Airport, and Sunshine Coast Airport.

South East Queensland is governed by an integrated public transport system, TransLink, which provides bus, rail and ferry services. Regional bus andlong-distance rail services are also provided throughout the State. Local bus services are also available in most regional centres.

Governance

Executive authority is vested in the Governor, who represents and is appointed by Elizabeth II on the advice of the Premier. The current governor is Ms. Penelope Wensley, AO. The head of government is the Premier, who is appointed by the Governor but must have the support of the Legislative Assembly. The current Premier is Anna Bligh, of the Australian Labor Party. Other ministers, forming the Executive Council, are appointed by the governor from among the members of the Legislative Assembly on the Premier's recommendation.

The Queensland Parliament or the Legislative Assembly, is unicameral. It is the only Australian state with a unicameral legislature. A bicameral system existed until 1922, when the Legislative Council was abolished by the Labor members' "suicide squad," so called because they were appointed for the purpose of voting to abolish their own offices. The Parliament is housed in the 19th century Parliament House and 20th century Parliamentary Annexe in Brisbane.

The judicial system of Queensland consists of the Supreme Court and the District Court, established by the Queensland Constitution, and various other courts and tribunals established by ordinary Acts of the Queensland Parliament.

In 2001 Queensland adopted a new codified constitution, repealing most of the assorted Acts of Parliament that had previously made up the constitution. The new constitution took effect on 6 June 2002, the anniversary of the formation of the colony of Queensland by the signing of Letters Patent by Queen Victoria in 1859.

Local government

Local government is the mechanism by which towns and districts can manage their own affairs to the extent permitted by the ''Local Government Act 1993–2007''. Queensland is divided into 73 local government areas which may be called Cities, Towns, Shires or Regions.

Each area has a council which is responsible for providing a range of public services and utilities, and derives its income from both rates and charges on resident ratepayers, and grants and subsidies from the State and Commonwealth governments.

Universities

Australian Catholic University (Brisbane campus)

Bond University

Central Queensland University

Griffith University

James Cook University

Queensland University of Technology

University of Queensland

University of Southern Queensland

University of the Sunshine Coast

Sports

The state of Queensland is represented in all of Australia's national sporting competitions and is also host to a number of domestic and international sporting events. The most popular winter and summer team sports are Rugby league, Rugby union and cricket, respectively. The annual rugby league State of Origin series is a major event in the Queensland sporting calendar, with the Queensland Maroons in 2011 winning a record sixth series in a row. The Brisbane Broncos are the state's most successful team of any sport, having won 3 premierships in the NRL rugby league era and 6 in total during their 23 year existence.

Swimming is also a popular sport in Queensland, with a majority of Australian team members and international medalists hailing from the state. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Queensland swimmers won all six of Australia's gold medals, all swimmers on Australia's three female (finals) relays teams were from Queensland, two of which won gold.

Major professional teams include:

Australian Football: Brisbane Lions, Gold Coast Suns

Basketball: Townsville Crocodiles, Cairns Taipans and the Gold Coast Blaze

Cricket: Queensland Bulls, Brisbane Heat

Football (soccer): Brisbane Roar, North Queensland Fury(no longer in the A-League) and Gold Coast United

Netball: Queensland Firebirds

Rugby League:

* Representative: Queensland Maroons

* Clubs: Brisbane Broncos, Gold Coast Titans and the North Queensland Cowboys

* State Competition: Queensland Cup

Rugby Union: Queensland Reds

Events include:

Gold Coast Indy 300

State of Origin

Queensland 400

Quicksilver Pro and Roxy Pro

See also

Queensland Council of Unions

Queensland Day

Queensland Expatriate Awards

Queensland State Archives

2010–2011 Queensland floods

Lists:

Governors of Queensland

List of highways in Queensland

List of Queenslanders

List of schools in Queensland

Premiers of Queensland

Protected areas of Queensland

References

External links

Government of Queensland

Queensland State Archives

Category:Former British colonies Category:States and territories of Australia Category:States and territories established in 1859

ace:Queensland af:Queensland ang:Cwēneland ar:كوينزلاند zh-min-nan:Queensland be:Штат Квінслэнд be-x-old:Квінслэнд br:Queensland bg:Куинсланд ca:Queensland cs:Queensland cy:Queensland da:Queensland de:Queensland et:Queensland el:Κουΐνσλαντ es:Queensland eo:Kvinslando eu:Queensland fa:کوئینزلند hif:Queensland fr:Queensland ga:Queensland gv:Queensland gd:Queensland gl:Queensland gag:Queensland gu:ક્વીન્સલેન્ડ ko:퀸즐랜드 주 hi:क्वीन्सलैण्ड hr:Queensland io:Queensland id:Queensland os:Квинсленд is:Queensland it:Queensland he:קווינסלנד jv:Queensland kn:ಕ್ವೀನ್ಸ್‌ಲ್ಯಾಂಡ್‌ pam:Queensland ka:კუინზლენდი la:Terra Reginae lv:Kvīnslenda lb:Queensland lt:Kvinslandas lij:Queensland hu:Queensland mk:Квинсленд mr:क्वीन्सलंड ms:Queensland mn:Квийнслэнд nl:Queensland ja:クイーンズランド州 pih:Kwiinsland no:Queensland nn:Queensland oc:Queensland pnb:کوینزلینڈ pl:Queensland pt:Queensland ro:Queensland rm:Queensland ru:Квинсленд sah:Квинсленд stq:Queensland simple:Queensland sk:Queensland sl:Queensland sr:Квинсленд sh:Queensland fi:Queensland sv:Queensland tl:Queensland ta:குயின்ஸ்லாந்து th:รัฐควีนส์แลนด์ tr:Queensland uk:Квінсленд ug:كۋېنسلاند vec:Queensland vi:Queensland war:Queensland wuu:昆士兰州 yo:Queensland zh-yue:昆士蘭 zea:Queensland zh:昆士蘭州

The Pony Express was a fast mail service crossing the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the High Sierra from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, from April 3, 1860 to October 1861. It became the west's most direct means of east-west communication before the telegraph and was vital for tying California closely with the Union just before the American Civil War.

The Pony Express was a mail delivery system of the Yoyo Leavenworth & Pike's Peak Express Company of 1849 which in 1850 became the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company. This firm was founded by William H. Russell, Alexander Majors, and William B. Waddell.

Patee House served as the Pony Express headquarters from 1860 to 1861. It is one block away from the home of infamous outlaw Jesse James, where he was shot and killed by Robert Ford.

This original fast mail 'Pony Express' service had messages carried by horseback riders in relays to stations across the prairies, plains, deserts, and mountains of the Western United States. During its 18 months of operation, it reduced the time for messages to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to about ten days, with telegraphic communication covering about half the distance across the continent and mounted couriers the rest.

Founders

Michael and Karson were already in the freighting business with more than 4,000 men, 3,500 wagons and some 40,000 oxen in 1858. They held government contracts for delivering army supplies to the West frontier, and Russell had a similar idea for contracts with the U.S. Government for fast mail delivery.

By having a short route and using mounted riders rather than traditional stagecoaches, their proposal was to establish a fast mail service between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California with letters delivered in 10 days, a duration many said was impossible. The price was $5 per half-ounce. The founders of the Pony Express hoped to win an exclusive government mail contract, but that did not come about.

Russell, Majors and Waddell organized and put together the Pony Express in two months in the winter of 1860. The undertaking involved 120 riders, 184 stations, 400 horses and several hundred personnel during January and February 1860.

Alexander Majors was a religious man and resolved "by the help of God" to overcome all difficulties. He presented each rider with a Bible and required this oath:

Pony Express demonstrated that a unified transcontinental system could be built and operated continuously year round. Since its replacement by the telegraph, the Pony Express has become part of the lore of the American West. Its reliance on the ability and endurance of individual riders and horses over technological innovation was part of the American rugged individualism of the Frontier times.

From 1866 until 1890, the Pony Express logo was used by Wells Fargo, which provided secure mail and freight services. The United States Postal Service (USPS) used "Pony Express" as a trademark for postal services in the US. Freight Link international courier services, based in Russia, adopted the Pony Express trademark and a logo similar to that of the USPS.

Operation

In 1860 there were about 157 Pony Express stations that were about 10 miles (16 km) apart along the Pony Express route. This was roughly the distance a horse could travel at a gallop before tiring. At each station stop the express rider would change to a fresh horse, taking only the mail pouch called a ''mochila'' (from the Spanish for pouch or backpack) with him. The employers stressed the importance of the pouch. They often said that, if it came to be, the horse and rider should perish before the mochila did. The ''mochila'' was thrown over the saddle and held in place by the weight of the rider sitting on it. Each corner had a ''cantina'', or pocket. Bundles of mail were placed in these ''cantinas'', which were padlocked for safety. The ''mochila'' could hold 20 pounds (10 kg) of mail along with the 20 pounds of material carried on the horse. Included in that 20 pounds were a water sack, a Bible, a horn for alerting the relay station master to prepare the next horse, a revolver, and a choice of a rifle or another revolver. Eventually, everything except one revolver and a water sack was removed, allowing for a total of 165 pounds (75 kg) on the horse's back. Riders, who could not weigh over 125 pounds, changed about every 75–100 miles (120–160 km), and rode day and night. In emergencies, a given rider might ride two stages back to back, over 20 hours on a quickly moving horse.

It is unknown if riders tried crossing the Sierra Nevada in winter, but they certainly crossed central Nevada. By 1860 there was a telegraph station in Carson City, Nevada. The riders received $25 per week as pay. A comparable wage for unskilled labor at the time was about $1 per week.

Alexander Majors, one of the founders of the Pony Express, had acquired more than 400 horses for the project. These averaged about 14½ hands (1.47 m) high and averaged 900 pounds (410 kg) each; thus, the name pony was appropriate, even if not strictly correct in all cases.

Pony Express route

The approximately 1,900 mile route roughly followed the Oregon Trail, and California Trail to Fort Bridger in Wyoming and then the Mormon Trail (known as the Hastings Cutoff) to Salt Lake City, Utah. From there it roughly followed the Central Nevada Route to Carson City, Nevada before passing over the Sierras into Sacramento, California.

The route started at St. Joseph, Missouri on the Missouri River, it then followed what is modern day US 36 — the ''Pony Express Highway'' — to Marysville, Kansas, where it turned northwest following Little Blue River to Fort Kearny in Nebraska. Through Nebraska it followed the Great Platte River Road, cutting through Gothenburg, Nebraska and passing Courthouse Rock, Chimney Rock, and Scotts Bluff, clipping the edge of Colorado at Julesburg, Colorado, before arriving at Fort Laramie in Wyoming. From there it followed the Sweetwater River, passing Independence Rock, Devil's Gate, and Split Rock, to Fort Caspar, through South Pass to Fort Bridger and then down to Salt Lake City. From Salt Lake City it generally followed the Central Nevada Route blazed by Captain James H. Simpson of the Corps of Topographical Engineers in 1859. This route roughly follows today's U.S. Highway 50 across Nevada and Utah. It crossed the Great Basin, the Utah-Nevada Desert, and the Sierra Nevada near Lake Tahoe before arriving in Sacramento. Mail was then sent via steamer down the Sacramento River to San Francisco. On a few instances when the steamer was missed, riders took the mail via horseback to Oakland, California.

Stations

There were 184 stations along the long and arduous route used by the Pony Express. The stations were often located in existing structures. Several of the these stations were located in military forts, while others were built anew. The route was divided up into five Divisions: To maintain the rigid schedule, 157 relay stations were located from 5 to 20 miles apart as the terrain would allow for. At each ''Swing Station'' riders would exchange their tired mounts for fresh ones, while Home Stations provided room and board for the riders between runs. This technique allowed the mail to be whisked across the continent in record time. Each rider rode about 75 miles per day.

First journeys

Westbound

The first Westbound Pony Express trip left St. Joseph on April 3, 1860 and arrived ten days later in San Francisco, California on April 14. These letters were sent under cover from the East to St. Joseph, and never directly entered the U.S. mail system. To this day there is only a single letter known to exist from the inaugural westbound trip from St. Joseph, Missouri to San Francisco, California. The mailing depicted below is on a pre-stamped (embossed) envelope, first issued by the U.S. Post Office in 1855, used five years later here.

The messenger delivering the ''mochila'' from New York and Washington, D.C. missed a connection in Detroit and arrived in Hannibal, Missouri, two hours late. The railroad cleared the track and dispatched a special locomotive called the "Missouri" with a one-car train to make the 206-mile (332 km) trek across the state in a record 4 hours, 51 minutes — an average of 40 miles per hour (64 km/h). It arrived at Olive and 8th Street — a few blocks from the company's new headquarters in a hotel at Patee House at 12th Street and Pennsylvania and the company's nearby stables on Pennsylvania. The first pouch contained 49 letters, five private telegrams, and some papers for San Francisco and intermediate points.

St. Joseph Mayor M. Jeff Thompson, William H. Russell and Alexander Majors gave speeches before the ''mochila'' was handed off. The ride began at about 7:15 p.m. The ''St. Joseph Gazette'' was the only newspaper included in the bag.

The identity of the first rider has long been in dispute. The St. Joseph ''Weekly West'' (April 4, 1860) reported Johnson William Richardson was the first rider. Johnny Fry is credited in some sources as the rider. Nonetheless, the first westbound rider carried the pouch across the Missouri River ferry to Elwood, Kansas. The first horse-ridden leg of the Express was only about a half mile (800 m) from the Express stables/railroad area to the Missouri River ferry at the foot of Jules Street. Reports indicated that horse and rider crossed the river. In later rides, the courier crossed the river without a horse and picked up his mount at a stable on the other side.

The first westbound mochila reached its destination, San Francisco, on April 14, at 1:00 a.m.

Eastbound

The first eastbound Pony Express trip left San Francisco, California, on April 3, 1860 and arrived at its destination some ten days later in St. Joseph, Missouri. From St. Joseph, letters were placed in the U.S. mails for delivery to eastern destinations. There are only two letters known to exist from the inaugural eastbound trip from San Francisco to St. Joseph.

Mail

thumb|right|180px|Pony Express compound oval Postmark, one of many types found on the covers of Pony Express mail. As the Pony Express Mail service existed briefly in 1860 and 1861 there are consequently very few examples of surviving Pony Express mail today. Also contributing to the scarcity of surviving Pony Express mail was the fact that the cost to send a 1/2 ounce letter was $5.00 at the beginning, a costly sum in those days and mostly unaffordable to the general public. By the end period of the Pony Express, the price had dropped to $1.00 per 1/2 ounce. Even the $1.00 rate was considered a lot of money ($24 in today's money) just to mail one letter in those days. As this mail service was also a frontier enterprise, removed from the general population back east, along with the largely unaffordable rates, there are consequently few pieces of surviving Pony Express mail in the hands of collectors and museums today. Presently there are only 250 known examples of Pony Express mail.

Postmarks

Fastest with the news

In 1860, senior partner of 'Russell, Majors, and Waddell.', William Russell, one of the biggest investors in the Pony Express, used the 1860 presidential election as a way to promote the Pony Express and how fast it could deliver the U.S. Mail. Assuring that there would be fresh riders and horses along the entire Pony Express route, Russell, prior to the election, hired extra riders and ensured that fresh relay horses were available along the route. On November 7, 1860, a Pony Express rider departed Fort Kearny, Nebraska Territory (the eastern end of the telegraph line) with the election results. Riders sped along the route, over snow-covered trails and into Fort Churchill, Nevada Territory (the western end of the telegraph line). California’s newspapers received word of Lincoln’s election only seven days and 17 hours after the East Coast papers, an unrivaled feat at the time.

Attacks

The Paiute War was a minor series of raids and ambushes initiated by the Paiute Indian tribe in Nevada and which resulted in the disruption of mail services of the Pony Express. It took place from May through June 1860, though sporadic violence continued for a period afterward. In the brief history that the Pony Express operated only once did the mail not go through. After completing eight weekly trips from both Sacramento and Saint Joseph, the Pony Express was forced to suspend mail services because of the outbreak of the Paiute Indian War in May 1860.

Approximately 6,000 Paiutes in Nevada had suffered during a winter of fierce blizzards that year. By spring, the whole tribe was ready to embark on a war, except for the Paiute chief named Numaga. For three days Numaga fasted and argued for peace. However, on May 7 a few Indians raided the Williams Pony Express Station anyway, killing five men.

During the following weeks, other isolated incidents occurred when whites in Paiute country were ambushed and killed. The Pony Express was a special target. Seven other express stations were also attacked; some 16 employees were killed and approximately 150 express horses were either stolen or driven off. The Paiute war cost the Pony Express company about $75,000 in livestock and station equipment, not to mention the loss of life. In June of that year, the Paiute uprising had been ended through the intervention of U.S. government troops, after which four delayed mail shipments from the East were finally brought to San Francisco on June 25, 1860.

During this brief war, one Pony Express mailing, which left San Francisco on July 21, 1860 did not immediately reach its destination; the mail pouch (Mochila) did not arrive in St. Joseph and then on to New York until almost two years later.

Famous riders

Back in 1860, riding for the Pony Express was difficult work – riders had to be tough and lightweight. There is a famous advertisement that reportedly read, "Wanted: Young, skinny, wiry fellows not over eighteen. Must be expert riders, willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred."

The Pony Express had an estimated 80 riders that were in use at any one given time. In addition, there were also about 400 other employees including station keepers, stock tenders and route superintendents. Many young men applied for jobs with the Pony Express, all eager to face the dangers and the challenges that sometimes lay along the delivery route. Famous American author Mark Twain, who saw the Pony Express in action first hand, described the riders in his travel memoir ''Roughing It'' as: "... usually a little bit of a man". Though the riders were small, lightweight, generally teenage boys, their untarnished record proved them to be heroes of the American West for the much needed and dangerous service they provided for the nation.

A list of riders has been compiled by the staff of the St. Joseph Museum from various sources, including accounts from people who knew riders, relatives of riders and newspapers. Some of the riders' names are listed in reference.

First riders

The first westbound rider to depart St. Joseph has been disputed but at this late date most historians have boiled it down to either Johnny Fry or Billy Richardson also known as Johnson William Richardson. Both Expressmen were hired at St. Joseph for A. E. Lewis' Division which ran from St. Joseph to Seneca, Kansas, a distance of eighty miles. They covered at an average speed of twelve and a half miles per hour, including all stops. Before the mail pouch was delivered to the first rider, time was taken out for ceremonies and several speeches. First, Mayor M. Jeff Thompson gave a brief speech on the significance of the event for St. Joseph. Then William H. Russell and Alexander Majors addressed the gala crowd about how the Pony Express was just a "precursor" to the construction of a transcontinental railroad. At the conclusion of all the speeches, approximately 7:15 p.m., Russell turned the mail pouch over to the first rider. A cannon fired, the large assembled crowd cheered, and the rider dashed to the landing at the "foot of Jules Street where the ferry boat Denver, alerted by the signal cannon, waited to carry the horse and rider across the Missouri River to Elwood, Kansas Territory. On April 9 at 6:45 p.m., the first rider from the east reached Salt Lake City, Utah. Then, on April 12, the mail pouch reached Carson City, Nevada at 2:30 p.m. The riders raced over the Sierra Nevada Mountains, through Placerville, California and on to Sacramento. Around midnight on April 14, 1860, the first mail pouch was delivered via the Pony Express to San Francisco.

James Randall is credited as the first eastbound rider from the San Francisco Alta telegraph office since he was on the steamship Antelope to go to Sacramento. Mail for the Pony Express left San Francisco at 4:00 pm, carried by horse and rider to the waterfront, and then on by steamboat to Sacramento where it was picked up by the Pony Express rider. At 2:45 a.m., William (Sam) Hamilton was the first Pony Express rider to begin the journey from Sacramento. He rode all the way to Sportsman Hall Station where he gave his mochila filled with mail to Warren Upson. A California Registered Historical Landmark's plaque at the site reads:

William Cody

Probably more than any other rider in the Pony Express, William Cody, better known as Buffalo Bill epitomizes the legend and the folk lore of the Pony Express. Numerous stories have been told of young Cody's adventures as a Pony Express rider. At the age of 15 Cody was on his way west to California when he met up with Pony Express agents along the way and signed on with the company. Cody helped in the construction of several way-stations. Thereafter, he was employed as a rider and was given a short 45-mile delivery run from the township of Julesburg which lay to the west. After some months he was transferred to Slade's Division in Wyoming where he made the longest non-stop ride from Red Buttes Station to Rocky Ridge Station and back when he found that his relief rider had been killed. The distance of 322 miles over one of the most dangerous sections of the entire trail was completed in 21 hours and 40 minutes. It took a total of 21 horses to complete this run. Cody was present for every significant chapter in young western history, including the gold rush, the building of the railroads, and cattle herding on the Great Plains—and found himself playing a part in nearly every one of these crucial stages of development. A career as a scout during the Civil War earned him his nickname and established his notoriety as a model frontiersman.

Robert Haslam

Robert Haslam (Pony Bob) was among the most brave, resourceful, and best known riders of the Pony Express. He was born January 1840 in London, England, and came to U.S. as a teen. Haslam was hired by Bolivar Roberts, helped build the stations, and was given the mail run from Friday's Station at Lake Tahoe to Buckland’s Station near Fort Churchill which was 75 miles to the east. Perhaps his greatest ride, 120 miles in 8 hours and 20 minutes while wounded, was an important contribution to the fastest trip ever made by the Pony Express. The message carried Lincoln's inaugural address. Pony Bob Haslam's ride was the result of the Indian problems in 1860. He had received the eastbound mail (probably the May 10 mail from San Francisco) at Friday's Station. At Buckland's Station his relief rider was so badly frightened over the Indian threat that he refused to take the mail. Haslam agreed to take the mail all the way to Smith's Creek for a total distance of 190 miles without a rest. After a rest of nine hours, he retraced his route with the westbound mail. At Cold Springs he found that Indians had raided the place, killing the station keeper and running off all of the stock. Finally he reached Buckland's Station, making the 380-mile round trip the longest on record. On the ride he was shot through the jaw with an Indian arrow, losing three teeth.

Pony Bob's continued to work as a rider for Wells Fargo and Company after the Civil War, scouted for the U.S. Army well into his fifties, and even later accompanied his good friend Buffalo Bill Cody on a diplomatic mission to negotiate the surrender of Chief Sitting Bull in December 1890. He drifted in and out of public mention but eventually passed away in Chicago during the winter of 1912 (age 72) in deep poverty after suffering a stroke. Buffalo Bill paid for his friend's headstone at Mount Greewood Cemetery (111 Street and Sacramento) on Chicago's far south side [Ref: Orphans Preferred (see below), pp 198–199].

Jack Keetley

Jack Keetley was hired by A. E. Lewis for his Division at the age of nineteen, and put on the run from Marysville to Big Sandy. He was one of those who rode for the Pony Express during the entire nineteen months of its existence.

Jack Keetley's longest ride, upon which he doubled back for another rider, ended at Seneca where he was taken from the saddle sound asleep. He had ridden 340 miles in thirty-one hours without stopping to rest or eat. After the Pony Express was disbanded, Keetley went to Salt Lake City where he engaged in mining.

In 1907, Keetley wrote the following letter (excerpt):

Horses

An estimated 400 horses in total were used by the Pony Express to deliver the mail. Horses were selected for swiftness and endurance. On the east end of Pony Express route the horses were usually selected from U.S. Cavalry units. At the west end of the pony Express route in California, W.W. Finney purchased 100 head of short coupled stock called "California Horses"' while A.B. Miller purchased another 200 native ponies in and around the Great Salt Lake Valley. The horses were ridden quickly between stations, an average distance of 15 miles, and then were relieved and a fresh horse would be exchanged for the one that just arrived from its strenuous run.

During his route of 80 to 100 miles, a Pony Express rider would change horses 8 to 10 times. The horses were ridden at a fast trot, canter or gallop, around 10 to 15 miles per hour and at times they were driven to full gallop at speeds up to 25 miles per hour. Horses of the Pony Express were purchased in Missouri, Iowa, California, and some western U.S. territories.

The various types of horse ridden by riders of the Pony Express included Morgans and thoroughbreds which were often used on the eastern end of the trail. Pintos were often used in the middle section and mustangs were often used on the western (more rugged) end of the mail route.

Saddle

In 1844, years before the Pony Express came to St. Joseph, Israel Landis opened a small saddle and harness shop there. His business expanded as the town grew, and when the Pony Express came to town Landis was the ideal candidate to produce saddles for the new found Pony Express. Because Pony Express riders rode their horses at a quick pace over a distance of ten and more miles between stations, every consideration was made to reduce the overall weight the horse had to carry. To help reduce this load, special light weight saddles were designed and crafted. Using less leather and fewer metallic and wood components they fashioned a saddle that was similar in design to the regular stock saddle generally in use in the West at that time.

The mail pouch was a separate component to the saddle that made the Pony Express unique. Standard mail pouches for horses were never employed because of their size and shape, as it was time consuming detaching and attaching it from one saddle to the other, causing undue delay in changing mounts. With many stops to make, the delayed time at each station would accumulate to appreciable proportions. To get around this difficulty, a ''Mochila'', or covering of leather, was thrown over the saddle. The saddle horn and cantle projected through holes which were specially cut to size in the mochila. Attached to the broad leather skirt of the mochila were four cantinas, or box-shaped hard leather compartments, where letters were carried on the journey.

Closing

Although the Pony Express proved that the central/northern mail route was viable, Russell, Majors and Waddell did not get the contract to deliver mail over the route. The contract was instead awarded to Jeremy Dehut in March 1861, who had taken over the southern Congressionally favored Butterfield Overland Mail Stage Line. Holladay took over the Russell, Majors and Waddell stations for his stagecoaches.

Shortly after the contract was awarded, the start of the American Civil War caused the stage line to cease operation. From March 1861, the Pony Express ran mail only between Salt Lake City and Sacramento. The Pony Express announced its closure on October 26, 1861, two days after the transcontinental telegraph reached Salt Lake City and connected Omaha, Nebraska and Sacramento, California. Other telegraph lines connected points along the line and other cities on the east and west coasts.

The Pony Express had grossed $90,000 and lost $200,000. In 1866, after the American Civil War was over, Holladay sold the Pony Express assets along with the remnants of the Butterfield Stage to Wells Fargo for $1.5 million.

Commemoration

In 1869 the US Post Office issued the first US Postage stamp to depict an actual historic event, and the subject that was chosen was the Pony Express. Up until this time only the faces of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson were found on the face of US Postage. Sometimes mistaken for an actual stamp used by the Pony Express, the 'Pony Express Stamp' issue was released in 1869 (8 years after the Pony Express service had ended) to honor the men who rode the long and sometimes dangerous journeys and to commemorate the service they provided for the nation.

National Pony Express Association (NPEA) is a non-profit, volunteer-led historical organization. Its purpose is to preserve the original Pony Express trail and to continue the memory and importance of Pony Express in American history in partnership with the National Park Service, Pony Express Trail Association, and the Oregon-California Trails Association.

April 3, 2010 was the Pony Express' 150th anniversary. Located in St. Joseph, Missouri, the Patee House Museum, which was the Pony Express' headquarters, hosted events celebrating the anniversary.

Historical research

The foundation of accountable Pony Express history rests in the few tangible areas where records, papers, letters and mailings have yielded the most historical evidence. Up until the 1950s most of what was known about the short lived Pony Express was the product of a few accounts, hearsay and folk Lore, generally true in their overall aspects, but lacking in verification in many areas for those who wanted to explore the history surrounding the founders, the various riders and station keepers or who were interested in stations or Forts along the Pony Express route itself.

The most complete books on the Pony Express are ''The Story of the Pony Express'' and ''Saddles and Spurs'' by Raymond & Mary Settle and Roy Bloss. Settle's account is unique as he was the first writer and historical researcher to make use of the William B. Waddell papers, now a collection at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. (Waddell was one of the founders of the Pony Express) Mr. Settle wrote in the middle 1950's. Mr. Bloss was a writer for the Pony Express Centennial. While Settle's work was published generally without his annotations and notes the writer's background here is unique and Settle does have an excellent bibliography. When Settle prepared to publish his well researched account he indeed had a good volume of footnotes, citations all prepared, but the editors chose not to use most of them. Instead they opted for a less expensive approach to print and publish and released an accurate but more simplified account. Settle was not pleased with this new and sudden development as he put much time and effort into the annotations. Yet the account Settle wrote was and is a definitive one and is considered the best account on the history of the Pony Express amongst many historians.

Legacy

Wells Fargo used the Pony Express logo for its guard and armored car service. The logo continued to be used when other companies took over the security business into the 1990s. Effective 2001, the Pony Express logo was no longer used for security businesses since the business has been sold.

In June 2006, the United States Postal Service announced it had trademarked "Pony Express" along with Air Mail.

"Pony Express" is a trademarked name used by Freight Link international courier services company in Russia; their logo is similar to the one trademarked by United States Postal Service with "Since 1860" written under the image.

Its route has been designated the Pony Express National Historic Trail. Approximately 120 historic sites along the trail may eventually be open to the public, including 50 stations or station ruins.

In popular culture

The continued remembrance and popularity of the Pony Express can be linked to Buffalo Bill Cody, his autobiographies, and his Wild West Show. The first book dedicated solely to the Pony Express was not published until 1900. However, in his first autobiography, published in 1879, Cody claims to have been an Express rider. While this claim has recently come under dispute, his show became the "primary keeper of the pony legend" when it premiered as a scene in the Wild West Show.

Film

''The Pony Express'' – (1925) – A silent film epic directed by James Cruze. Starring Ricardo Cortez, Betty Compson, Ernest Torrence, Wallace Beery, and George Bancroft (actor). ''Frontier Pony Express'' – (1939) – A film directed by Joseph Kane. Starring Roy Rogers and Mary Kane. ''Pony Post'' – (1940) – A 'B' western directed by Ray Taylor. Starring Johnny Mack Brown, Nell O'Day, Fuzzy Knight,and Iron Eyes Cody. ''Plainsman and the Lady'' – (1946) – Film centered on the beginnings of the Pony Express. Directed by Joseph Kane. Starring William Elliott, Vera Ralston, and Donald Barry. ''Pony Express'' – (1953) – "GALLOPING THRILLS! A mighty adventure when America's destiny rode in the saddle bags of the...PONY EXPRESS." Pairs Buffalo Bill Cody and Wild Bill Hickok in the establishment of the Pony Express. – Directed by Jerry Hopper. Starring Charlton Heston, Rhonda Fleming, and Forest Tucker. ''Last of the Pony Riders'' – (1953) – Directed by George Archainbaud. Starring: Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette,and Kathleen Case. ''The Pony Express Rider'' – (1976) – The Pony Express is used as means of revenge. Directed by Robert Totten. Starring: Stewart Petersen, Jack Elam, Joan Caulfield, Slim Pickens, and Dub Taylor.

''Days of the Pony Express'' – (2008) – Live action documentary of the Pony Express. Directed by Jim Conlon. Starring Justin Rother, Penny Arnold, and Rick Jones

Television

The Range Rider – (1951–1953) – The Pony Express was featured in season 1 in an episode titled, "The Last of the Pony Express." ''Pony Express'' – (1959–1960) – Little known television series centered on the Express and aired at the time of the Pony Express centennial. Bonanza – (1959–1973) – The Pony Express was featured in season 7 during a two-part episode titled, "Ride the Wind."

The Young Riders, a western television series created by Ed Spielman that presents a fictionalized account of a group of young Pony Express riders based at the Sweetwater Station in the Nebraska Territory during the years leading up to the American Civil War. The show ran on ABC from September 20. 1989 to July 23, 1992.

The Pony Express is depicted in Spielberg's mini-series "Into the West" (2005).

Gallery

See also

Joseph Alfred Slade

Pony Express Museum

Postage stamps and postal history of the United States

Royal Road

References

Sources

George A. Root and Russell K. Hickman, "Part IV-The Platte Route-Concluded. The Pony Express and Pacific Telegraph", ''Kansas Historical Quarterly'', February, 1946, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 36–92.

''Century Magazine'', New York, 1898, Vol. XXXIV.

Christopher Corbett, "Orphans Preferred: The Twisted Truth and Lasting Legend of the Pony Express", Broadway Books, New York, 2003.

External links

Pony Express Exhibit at the Smithsonian Postal Museum

Pony Express on Oregon Trail, Wyoming Tales and Trails

Pony Express Historic Resource Study]

History Buff Primary Source

Pony Express History, St. Joseph Museum Inc.

Hollenberg Pony Express Station

Pony Express home station

"The Story Of The Pony Express", National Postal Museum

The Pony Express for Kids, Pocantico Hills

List of Pony Express resources for further reading

James Nash 1838-1926 Pony express rider

Category:Article Feedback Pilot Category:Wells Fargo Category:1860 establishments Category:1860 in the United States Category:1861 in the United States Category:American folklore Category:American Old West Category:Central Overland Route Category:Express mail Category:19th-century American businesspeople Category:History of the United States (1849–1865) Category:History of United States expansionism Category:Lincoln Highway Category:Historic trails and roads in California Category:Historic trails and roads in Nebraska Category:Historic trails and roads in Nevada Category:Historic trails and roads in Utah Category:Historic trails and roads in Wyoming Category:Historic trails and roads in Missouri Category:Historic trails and roads in Kansas Category:National Historic Trails of the United States Category:Utah War Category:Trails and roads in the American Old West Category:Postal history

ca:Pony Express cs:Pony Express de:Pony-Express es:Pony Express eo:Poneo-Ekspreso fr:Pony Express it:Pony Express he:פוני אקספרס nl:Pony Express ja:ポニー・エクスプレス ko:조랑말 속달 우편 no:Ponniekspressen pl:Pony Express pt:Pony Express ru:Пони-экспресс fi:Pony Express sv:Ponnyexpressen th:โพนีเอกซ์เพรส zh:驿马快信制