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The Old West
Photography and story by Kenneth E. Thompson
MLHS Class of '72
| Our next three Chapters of the Saga are based in the Old West. The first chapter is the Pony Express,
then the Stagecoach and Robbery, and The Cattle Drives. |
| The Pony Express—Between April of 1860 and October 1861, about 180 men ranging from 11 years old to 40 years old, rode a
route from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, carrying mail. The route touched the northeast corner of
Kansas, then went north and west through Nebraska to Wyoming. It followed the North Platte River almost to Casper, then
angled southwest to Salt Lake City. From Utah it went west to Carson City, Nevada, and on west to Sacramento.
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In this reenactment, there were a few problems that occurred. I had glitches with my camera and didn't get good shots.
The horse took off running and the rider wasn't able to get into the saddle. He was drug about 100 feet but wasn't
injured. You can see several other actors riding along, trying to help as much as possible.
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The Stagecoach and Robbery—About the same time that the Pony Express formed, Stagecoach lines
were developed, originally to carry mail, and eventually to provide long distance transportation to areas not yet
served by the railroads. In these first pictures, the stagecoach is carrying mail and passengers out to Medicine Lodge
from Kansas City. |
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Most stagecoaches also carried a strongbox containing gold from the Gold Rush, or money being transferred
from coast to coast, or other valuables. That strongbox became the main target of the highwaymen. Some historians now
believe that it was the mental anguish of the Civil War that drove men to the lawlessness that led to stagecoach
robberies, bank robberies, and train robberies.
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