Pony Express Rides Again

April 14, 2015April 14, 2015mikemjensen Life's Truths, Tough, Vanity Tags: Google+, grit, heaven, hell, Pony Express, wish i had done that Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

Apparently I chose the wrong anniversary to celebrate when it came to the Pony Express. I marked the 155^th anniversary of the mail leaving St. Joseph, Missouri and Google celebrated the 155^th Anniversary of those same letters arriving in San Francisco. It’s OK, I’ll enjoy it twice.

I know I eluded to in my post on April 3^rd, but today I heard it stated as clear as it could be.

I mentioned that I wonder if I would have had, or if I have, the grit to be a rider. Today I heard it remarked that the biggest reason that the Pony Express Legacy lives on, is because deep down inside, we all wish we had done it.

Yessir, I do. I wish I had done it. I’m afraid I wouldn’t have, but I wish I had. One day, up there, when we’re all sitting around talking of our earth days, I’m going to hunt down one of those riders and listen to his stories and live the experience by proxy.

In Heaven?

I know that some of these fellas may have been a little rough around the edges, but if my God is who I hope he is, Pony Express riders will have a free pass into heaven, just for the hell of it all.

Day 50

Same As It Ever Was

April 7, 2015April 7, 2015mikemjensen History, Interesting Stuff (to me anyway), Tough Tags: Pony Express Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Day 43

Pony Express April 3, 1860

April 3, 2015mikemjensen History Tags: Pony Express Leave a comment

Hey Kids,

Today is the 155^th anniversary to the beginning of the Pony Express.

The Pony Express only lasted about a year and a half but not because they were unsuccessful. The exchange of horses and riders could carry the mail from St Louis to California in just 10 days. Only one mail bag was lost in that time, and the cost wasn’t prohibitive to use. The problem was simply that the future happened. The birth of the telegraph made 10 days as slow as the wagons before the Express.

Yet the legend of the Express lives on. I am captivated by the grit the riders had to have. The stories of the station keepers, the rugged, desolate places through which the trail passed; they all beg me to wonder if I would have the ability to tough it out.

The pioneering spirit is no different than the pioneers of today. Stretching the possibilities and doing what others never even imagined. Changing the world and pushing it forward. Without the Pony Express, the telegraph would have been delayed at best and seen as not needed at worse. The telegraph opened the door to the train. The train to the car. Etc. Etc. Etc.

There remains not just the memory, but still foundations, and remnants of the Express. Scars upon the land where the trail cut its way remain. A trip to the west desert of Utah makes one feel like the riders are just a moment removed from our present.