Western Writers of America Spur Awards Finalist, Best Western Historical Nonfiction“A GROUNDBREAKING WORK. … The first comprehensive history of the legendary transcontinental experiment in mail delivery in sixty years.” —True West“This rollicking account of the daring enterprise known as the Pony Express brings its era and its legendary characters to life.” —San Francisco ChronicleThe new … its era and its legendary characters to life.” —San Francisco Chronicle
The new definitive history of the Pony Express by the #1 bestselling coauthor of American Sniper, illustrated with 50 images
On the eve of the Civil War, three American businessmen launched an audacious plan to create a financial empire by transforming communications across the hostile territory between the nation’s two coasts. In the process, they created one of the most enduring icons of the American West: the Pony Express. Daring young men with colorful names like “Bronco Charlie” and “Sawed-Off Jim” galloped at speed over a vast and unforgiving landscape, etching an irresistible tale that passed into myth almost instantly. Equally an improbable success and a business disaster, the Pony Express came and went in just eighteen months, but not before uniting and captivating a nation on the brink of being torn apart. Jim DeFelice’s brilliantly entertaining West Like Lightning is the first major history of the Pony Express to put its birth, life, and legacy into the full context of the American story.
The Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company—or “Pony Express,” as it came to be known—was part of a plan by William Russell, Alexander Majors, and William Waddell to create the next American Express, a transportation and financial juggernaut that already dominated commerce back east. All that stood in their way were almost two thousand miles of uninhabited desert, ice-capped mountains, oceanic plains roamed by Indian tribes, whitewater-choked rivers, and harsh, unsettled wilderness.
The Pony used a relay system of courageous horseback riders to ferry mail halfway across a continent in just ten days. The challenges the riders faced were enormous, yet the Pony Express succeeded, delivering thousands of letters at record speed. The service instantly became the most direct means of communication between the eastern United States and its far western territories, helping to firmly connect them to the Union.
Populated with cast of characters including Abraham Lincoln (news of whose electoral victory the Express delivered to California), Wild Bill Hickock, Buffalo Bill Cody (who fed the legend of the Express in his Wild West Show), and Mark Twain (who celebrated the riders in Roughing It), West Like Lightning masterfully traces the development of the Pony Express and follows it from its start in St. Joseph, Missouri—the edge of the civilized world—west to Sacramento, the capital of California, then booming from the gold rush. Jim DeFelice, who traveled the Pony’s route in his research, plumbs the legends, myths, and surprising truth of the service, exploring its lasting relevance today as a symbol of American enterprise, audacity, and daring.
more
This non-fiction history book reads like a novel full of the author’s witty style. Jim DeFelice often puts the dramatic myth first, then says, “it’s a great story, but…” he goes on to give the true history. I enjoy this writing style and the topic of the Pony Express immensely.
West Like Lightning is a fun, very entertaining look at the brief history of the Pony Express. While the Pony Express only ran for 18 months, it has lived on in myth and legend ever since it’s first days.
Jim DeFelice does a good job of presenting the story of the Pony Express, using the delivery of the news of Abraham Lincoln’s election along the route of the Pony as the framework to talk about the people that built and operated the Pony Express, from the business men who thought up the idea, to the riders and station masters who staffed the route. I found using this method of presenting the history of the Pony Express to be quite interesting as most histories are presented in a chronological order. What DeFelice does is use a geographic order (east to west along the route) and mixes up the chronology as he goes, jumping forward and backward in time to suite the narrative. It took a little bit to get used to, but was an effective tool for talking about the Pony.
In a few places I found that DeFelice went on a few longer tangents, straying from the main narrative about the Pony to talk about some of the more famous people associated with the Pony Express, or who provided contemporary (relatively) commentary about the men who rode the express. From Samuel Clemens, to Buffalo Bill Cody, and “Wild Bill” Hickok, DeFelice adds longish biographies that liven up the story, but seemed to ramble and stray at times from the focus of the narrative on the Pony Express. (That doesn’t mean that I didn’t find this information interesting or informative, I just wondered at times when we’d get back to talking about the Pony Express.)
I did learn a lot about the Pony Express, and the period in 1860 and ’61 when it was in operation. Learning that towns like St. Joseph, Missouri courted and provided incentives to the owners of the Pony Express to anchor the eastern terminus of the route – in the same way that cities today court large companies to build their factories or headquarters – was very interesting. Or how the Pony Express was never intended to ever be a money maker, or to last beyond the time it took to build the telegraph lines. That it had a planned obsolescence was quite interesting.
Overall I recommend West Like Lightning. If you have any interest in American history, an interest in the Old West, or a look into how people dealt with the harsh conditions of moving across and settling the western part of the country, then you will enjoy Jim’s look into the Pony Express.
I listened to the audiobook version of this book, narrated by John Pruden. There were no problems with the audio production and Mr. Pruden does a great job of bringing the history and people of the Pony Express to life.