Customer Reviews

The Saga of the Pony Express

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Just like the Pony Express riders themselves, this is a fast-paced but at the same time enjoyable and meaningful read of a very significant period in American history.
Due to Hollywood, television, dime novels, etc. many have a misunderstanding that the Pony Express lasted for years, even decades, where in actuality it was for only eighteen months. DiCerto gives us a glimpse into the origin of how and why this mail service was initiated; who started it; the trials and tribulations of the politics involved; a brief history of every station along the route; and best of all, the hardships, perils, dangers and grit of the young riders themselves.
A very well written and informative book.

I picked this book up as source material for a novel set on the Pony Express trail. I could hardly have picked a better one-stop-shop reference for everything a historical novelists needs. It's all in here. The names, the dates, the famous figures and the infamous ones. The tensions between whites and native Americans. Everything.

But what I found most fascinating is Di Certo's careful attention to the underbelly of the Pony Express, to the un-glamorous, but much more dangerous, role that the Express's hundreds of station-keepers played in the saga. Before reading this book, I knew as much about the Pony Express as anybody who grows up in America: orphans, fast horses, delivering the mail across hostile Indian territory. Blah blah blah. That stuff is true, as far as it goes, but I found so much intrigue and drama in the lives of the unsung station-keepers that it ended up totally changing the focus of my novel.

And I must say, it changed my book very much for the better. For that, I am ever grateful.

Joseph J. Di Certo's THE SAGA OF THE PONY EXPRESS is one of those historical gems that defies the notion that history can be as dry as the long lost dust of the past.
It is truly enjoyable reading with more than a few facts that will have you learning something in spite of yourself and maybe even get you ready for one of the categories on Jeopardy or at least a trivia contest! Like, did you know that Wild Bill Hickok worked for the Pony Express but was too tall to be a rider? Or that his roots could be traced back to a couple of tenant farmers who worked for Shakespeare? Or that before William Cody became Buffalo Bill Cody and a Pony Express Rider the then eleven year old was saved from getting beat up by a bully by Hickok?
There's a great deal more and Di Certo brings it all back to life in fine detail and style.
Russell, Waddell & Majors' PONY EXPRESS only lasted 18 months from April 1960 to October 1861 but left a legacy that endures. Along with some nice historical photos the book also provides a list of the stations involved and the young riders who made history taking the mail from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California. Some of the riders- as young as 14- braved Indian attacks, robbers, and harsh weather and conditions on the difficult runs.
How difficult? Well, consider the recruiting poster that read: 'Wanted- Young Skinny, Wiry Fellows Not Over Eighteen. Must Be Expert Riders, Willing to Risk Death Daily. Orphans Preferred.'
In all of the runs and hazards they faced only one Mochila saddle bag of mail was ever lost.
This book is one for your bookshelf or at least mine.

Knowing only what I had learned in school about the Pony Express, I began reading this book. Boy, do they leave a ton of stuff out in schools when they teach about this time period!!!! I could not put this book down. It is very well written and a fairly easy read. There were parts of this book that I couldn't catch my breath while reading. This book is a must read for anyone wanting to know more about this fascinating time in our country's history!

This book was very easy to read. The author did an outstanding job telling the story of the Pony Express. A definate read for anybody interested in this time period.