From School Library Journal
Grade 6 Up–The freighting company of Russell, Majors & Waddell founded the Pony Express in 1860. Hiring young, skinny, wiry fellows to ride from St. Joseph, MO, to Sacramento, CA, in 10 days, the company provided an invaluable communication service that tied the nation together at a critical time in its history. This volume tells the story of this short-lived but dramatic enterprise. (There is one error: California was ceded to the United States in 1848, not 1846.) Color and black-and-white historical photographs and drawings appear on almost every page and illustrate the textual description of the trail, the stations, the horse, and the riders. Particularly interesting are the accounts of the experiences of some of the riders and the hazards they faced. A lively, well-written volume that presents readers with a plethora of facts and stories.–Patricia Ann Owens, Wabash Valley College, Mt. Carmel, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Gr. 7-10. This lively history introduces the Pony Express, the first overland mail service linking the eastern U.S with California. Though a pony express was not a new idea in 1860, it had never before been implemented on such a large scale. From St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, the route covered nearly 2,000 miles, crossed the Rocky Mountains, and involved building more than 100 stations and manning them with support staff as well as renowned riders and their horses. In addition to explaining how the Pony Express worked and why it was important to those who used it, Rau relates tales of heroic rides that help to explain the delivery service's prominence in the romantic history of the West. Back matter includes a list of riders, a time line, source notes, a bibliography, and a list of Web sites. Since the index entries are limited to proper names, students can't use it for locating information on topics such as horses or stations. Many color reproductions of period photos, paintings, drawings, and documents illustrate the text. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
