Book Corner

Books about the Pony Express *

Please note that not all books listed are still in print, but may be available at your local library. Listed by last name of the author, then book title.

* If you know of a book on the Pony Express that you don’t see listed, please send book information to NationalPonyExpress@gmail.com

Adams, Samuel Hopkins. The Pony Express. Spencer Press, Inc., Chicago, 1950. Great book on the history of the Pony Express.
Adams, Samuel Hopkins. El Pony Express. Editorial Intercontinental, S. A., Mexico, 1957. This is a Spanish language version of Adams’ book listed above.
Allen, Merritt Parmelee. Joaquin Miller, Frontier Poet. Harper & Brothers Publishers, New York, 1932.
Anderson, A. M., and Adolph Regli. Alec Majors. Wheeler Publishing Company, Chicago, 1953. The story of Alexander Majors and the Old West he knew and loved.
Anderson, Peter. The Pony Express. Children’s Press, 1996. Examines the establishment of this innovative but short-lived mail delivery system and recounts anecdotes about it. Very well illustrated.
Arnold, Oren. Marvels of the U.S. Mail. Abelard-Schuman, New York, 1964. This book for young people traces the exciting and often hazardous life of the postman from earliest times until the present day with only a brief mention of the Pony Express.
Ault, Phil. Wires West- The Story of the Talking Wires. Dodd, Mead & Company, New York, 1974. Story of the building of the transcontinental telegraph system. Maps by Salem Tamer.
Bailer, Darice. Wanted – A Few Bold Riders: A Story of the Pony Express. Sound print, 1997. While visiting the Pony express exhibit at the National Postal Museum, Kevin travels back in time and becomes Warren Upson, a famous rider with a difficult route.
Bailer, Darice and Tom Antonishak (Illustrator). Way out West: Story of the Pony Express. Sound print, 1996.
Bailey, W.F. “The Pony Express.” Golden West: True Stories of the Old West. Vol. 1, No. 1, November 1964. Published by Maverick Publications, Inc., Freeport, New York. Fairly complete account of the Pony Express. Seems to have a few factual errors, particularly with names. However, if accurate, provides one of the more complete list of the first eastbound riders.
Banning, Captain William And Banning, George Hugh. Six Horses. New York Century Co., 1930. A wonderful history told first hand by the actual drivers, those who knew them and their descendants. The shipping of the first coaches around the Horn and the development of the stage system. The adventures of the drivers, the tough, independent, and resilient men and women who drove the trails, and their handling of robbers, natural disasters and Indians. A behind the scenes look at the real West before the railroad and decent roads. Including the Butterfield Stage Lines in New Mexico, the Pony Express, and famous men as Ben Holliday of the Overland Stage Line. Pictures of the drivers, coaches, maps of territories, illustrations of the equipment, early photos of the early drivers, stations, and developers of the first stage lines.
Barrett, Ivan J. Eph Hanks – Fearless Mormon Scout. Covenant Communications, Inc., 1990. This is a fictionalized account of the life of Ephram Hanks, who among other accomplishments was Station Keeper for Mountain Dale and Big Canyon Stations east of Salt Lake City.
Beck, Warren A. and Ynez D. Haase. Historical Atlas of the American West. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma, 1992.
Beebe, Lucius and Charles Clegg. U.S. West, The Saga of Wells Fargo. E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., New York, 1949. A colorful and splendid cavalcade of our country’s past.
Beebe & Clegg. American West: A Pictorial Epic of a Continent. E. P. Dutton, New York, 1955. A wealth of rare pictures and vivid authoritative text, an epic of the American West. Portrays the Old West from the days of the first pioneers to the final passing of the frontier. Over 1,000 illustrations.
Bensen, Joe. Pony Bob’s Daring Ride, A Pony Express Adventure. Falcon Press, Helena, Montana, 1995. Illustrated by John Potter. This is the story of Pony Bob Haslam, the brave young man who made the longest and most daring ride in the history of the Pony Express.
Bensen, Joe. Traveler’s Guide to the Pony Express Trail. Falcon Press, 1995. The story of the Pony Express represents one of the most romantic chapters in the history of the American West. Author and photographer Joe Bensen describes every section of the trail from Missouri to California, and detailed maps and photographs complement the narrative.
Biggs, Donald. “The Pony Express: Creation of the Legend”. Privately Printed, San Francisco, 1956. One of 500 copies printed by George L. Harding, Lawton Kennedy and Carl I. Wheat for the members of the Roxburghe-Zamorano & Sacramento Book Collectors Clubs.
Bloss, Roy S. Pony Express: The Great Gamble. Howell-North, 1959. It was a well-known fact that the completion of the transcontinental telegraph line would put an end to the Pony Express. Why, then, for such a short-lived enterprise were such tremendous sums expended? Informative popular history of the Pony Express, which despite its short existence has obtained a near mythical status in western lore. Described as a “fresh, unbiased approach to an emotion-packed historical episode.” Some excellent illustrations.
Bloss, Roy S. Pony Express, Fact & Fiction. Contra Costa County Historical Society, Concord, California, 1991.
Bloss, Roy S. Thomas Bowdler’s Elegy for the Pony Express, An Essay. 1996.
Bradley, Glenn Danford. The Story of the Pony Express. A. C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1918. An Account of the Most Remarkable Mail Service Ever in Existence, and its Place in History. Considered by many to be one of the best pioneer treatments of the Pony Express, generally reliable, and with the advantage of proximity of the writer to eyewitnesses. No illustrations. Reprinted as the “official Centennial history” in 1960 by Waddell Smith, President, Pony Express Centennial Association and by James Stevenson, Publisher, in 2005.
Bradley, Glenn D., and Raymond W. Settle (Smith, Waddell F., editor). The Story of the Pony Express. San Francisco, CA; Herperian House, 1960. Official 1960 Centennial Edition. Originally published in 1910, this book still remains the classic literature on that great western epic of travel and communication, the Pony Express. A number of photographs and illustrations have been added that were not in the original book. Included in this reprint is a piece published in 1959 in a journal by Raymond W. Settle titled, “The Pony Express, Heroic Effort – Tragic End.”
Bradley, Glenn Danford. The Story of the Pony Express. James Stevenson, Publisher, 2003. Tom Crews’ research on the overland route of the Pony Express from Sacramento to Oakland and on to San Francisco, in the introduction to this classic book, provides an overview of a neglected part of the old Pony Express run. Bradley’s story explains in a concise fashion the reasons why the Pony Express was such a vital link with the East at a time when Civil War was brewing. The efforts to provide mail and passenger service to the old West are interesting, and there are stirring accounts of the rider’s exploits.
Brandt, Betty and Kathy Haubrich (Illustrator). Special Delivery. Lerner Publishing, 1988.
Breihan, Carl W. Lawmen and Robbers. The Caxton Printers, Ltd., Caldwell, Idaho, 1986. Accounts of a number of names, both famous and infamous, that played glamorous and important part in the development of the west, including Captain Jack Slade. Illustrated with early photographs.
Bristow, J.T. The Overland Trail: Old Military Road and Pony Express Route in Its Relation to Atchison, Brown and Nemaha Counties in the 50’s and 60’s. Charles H. Browne, Horton, Kansas, 1937. These seven articles originally appeared in the Horton Headlight and were then reproduced in this small booklet.
Brouwer, Sigmund. Pony Express Christmas. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois, 2000. A young family on the prairie; a terrible snowstorm; an unexpected encounter with a Pony Express rider; a heartwarming Christmas story of faith and love.
Brown, Dee. “The Pony Express.” American History Illustrated. The National Historical Society, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Vol. XI, Number 7, November 1976
Brown, Mike W. and Beverly Gorny, Editors. Headed West, Historic Trails in Southwest Wyoming. Sweetwater County Joint Travel and Tourism Board, Wyoming, 1992. A very good work on the western trails through Wyoming and Westward during the 19th century, including the Pony Express and Overland Mail.
Buckeridge, J.O. Lincoln’s Choice: The Repeating Rifle Which Cut Short The Civil War. Stackpole Co., Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1956. The index has large listings for Christopher Miner Spencer and the Spencer seven shooter, in addition to smaller listings for Vesta Spencer and the Spencer Rifle Manufacturing Co.
Buehr, Walter. Sending the Word: The story of communication. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, 1959. The author presents some of the heroes of communication: Johann Gutenberg, the creator of printing; Samuel Morse, inventor of the telegraph and others, as well as telling the story of man’s communication with each other.
Bulla, Clyde Robert. Riding the Pony Express. Crowell, New York, 1948. Dick’s adventures at a way station for riders to change horses.
Buntline, Ned. Buffalo Bill, and His Adventures in the West. J.S. Ogilvie, New York, 1886.
Burt, Olive W. Young Wayfarers of the Early West. Hawthorn Books, Inc., New York, 1968. Includes the story of William F. Cody and the Pony Express.
Burt, Olive N. The Horse in America. The John Day Company, New York, 1975. Horses have been an important part of American history. Burt presents a total; in-depth picture of the role horses played in history and offers many exciting highlights including the story of the Pony Express.
Burton, Richard F. The City of the Saints and Across the Rocky Mountains to California. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1963. Burton’s account of his journey overland from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Great Salt Lake, and on to Sacramento is one of the few first-person accounts of the Pony Express stations that he visited on his journey. Of particular value is his “Emigrants Itinerary” in the Appendix, compiled from his diary, “showing the distances between camping-places, the several mail-stations where mules were changed, the hours of travel, the character of the roads.”
Burton, Sir Richard. The Look of the West 1860: Across the Plains to California. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, 1963. This volume, which is drawn from The City of the Saints and Across the Rocky Mountains to California [see above], is devoted to Burton’s account of his journey overland from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Great Salt Lake, and on to Sacramento. This one of the few first-person accounts of the Pony Express stations that he visited on his journey.
Butler, J. Dean. The Pony Express. Oregon City Printing Company, 1928. A poem that attempts to detail some of the hardships met and overcome by the riders.
Byers, S.H.M. The Pony Express and Other Poems, New and Old. The Times Mirror Press, Los Angeles California, 1925.
Carter, Kate B. Riders of the Pony Express. Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, 1947
Carter, Kate B. Utah and the Pony Express. Utah Printing Company, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1960
Castlemon, Harry. The Pony Express Rider. The John C. Winston Co., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1898.
Chandler, Edna Walker. Pony Rider. Benefic Press, Chicago, 1966. This is a story about the Pony Express delivering the mail. It is designed for readers at the pre-primer level just learning new words
Chandler, Dr. Robert J. “The Pony Express: 150 Years of Legend”; “Tightly Bound: Wells Fargo and the Pony Express”; and “Pony Express Route. The California Territorial Quarterly, Number 81, Spring 2010, Published by Bill and Penny Anderson, Paradise, California. This Collector’s Edition celebrates the 150th Anniversary of the Pony Express with three major articles written by Wells Fargo Bank historian, Dr. Robert J. Chandler, who brings to light new data and reveals some major misconceptions about the history of the Pony Express. Copies of this Collector’s Edition may be ordered from www.CaliforniaHistory.com
Chapman, Arthur. The Pony Express: The Record of a Romantic Adventure in Business. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, New York, 1932. Illustrated with contemporary prints & photos Pony Express. Contains interviews with Pony Express riders.
Christie’s. The Edwards Collection of Western Express Covers. Christie, Manson & Woods International, Inc., New York, 1991. This auction catalogue contains Western Express and Pony Express covers, and is a rare and unique reference book. It provides a nice companion to Nathan and Boggs.
Christie’s. United States Covers and Confederate States Stamps and Covers. Christie, Manson & Woods International, Inc., New York, 1990. This auction catalogue contains several Pony Express covers, and is a rare and unique reference book. It provides a nice companion to Nathan and Boggs
Clampitt, John W. Echoes from the Rocky Mountains. Belford, Clarke & Co., Chicago 1889. Reminiscences and thrilling incidents of the romantic and golden age of the Great West, with a graphic account of its discovery, settlement and grand development. Elaborately illustrated. Chapter on the Pony Express is very good
Coburn, Jesse L. Letters of Gold. U.S. Philatelic Classics Society, Canton, Ohio, 1984 Hardcover. Recounts and illustrates the postal history of California and the historical background against which the story of the mails evolved. It begins with the Spanish period and ends with completion of the transcontinental railroad, an event which significantly changed the character of the west. Includes the Pony Express and the Overland Mails.
Cody, William F. Buffalo Bill: The Life of Hon. William F. Cody Known as Buffalo Bill The Famous Hunter, Scout, and Guide, An Autobiography. Foreword by Don Russell. University of Nebraska Press, 1978
Coerr, Eleanor. Buffalo Bill & The Pony Express. Harper C. Child Books, 1995. (I Can Read Book, Juvenile, grades K-3).
Collier, Edmund. The Story of Buffalo Bill. Grosset & Dunlap, New York, 1952. Illustrated by Nicholas Eggenhofer. Includes a chapter on Cody’s Pony Express days.
Coombs, Charles. Young Pony Express Rider. Grosset & Dunlap, New York, 1953.
Corbett, Christopher. Orphans Preferred, The Twisted Truth and Lasting Legend of the Pony Express. Broadway Books, New York, 2003. The Pony Express is one of the most celebrated and enduring chapters in the history of the United States. It is a story of the all-American traits of bravery, bravado and entrepreneurial risk that are part of the very fabric of the Old West. No image of the American West in the mid-1800s is more familiar, more beloved, and more powerful than that of the lone rider galloping the mail across hostile Indian territory. No image is more revered. And none is less understood.
Cordes, Kathlene Ann. America’s National Historic Trails. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma, 1999. Photographs by Jane Lammers. Provides a vivid history of America’s twelve national historic trails (including the Pony Express National Historic Trail), a listing of points of interest, and helpful touring information.
Dadey, Debbie. Buffalo Bill & the Pony Express. Disney Press, 1994. (Disney’s American Frontier Series, Juvenile, grades K-3).
Dary, David. Entrepreneurs of the Old West. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Nebraska, 1986.
Defelice, Jim. West Like Lightning. 357p 2018. Harper Collins.
DiCerto, Joseph J. Pony Express: Hoof beats in the Wilderness. Watts, 1989. (Juvenile, grades 3-5).
DiCerto, Joseph J. The Saga of the Pony Express. Mountain Press Publishing Company, Missoula, Montana, 2002. This is the latest book relating the history, legend and lore of this most remarkable venture. Di Certo covers all of the requisite areas of historical interest: the Founders, the Route, the Stations, the Riders, the Historical Significance, and the Financial Problems. He has taken steps beyond just a recitation of known facts and fiction and has gone to great lengths to place the Pony Express within the historical context of the turbulent events of the mid nineteenth century.
Dimmock, F. Haydn. Pat of the Pony Express. C. Arthur Pearson, Ltd., London, 1931.
Dixon, Rex. Pocomoto Pony Express Rider. Thomas Nelson & Sons Ltd, 1953. Illustrated by Jack Harman.
Dolan, Mary M. Bill of the Pony Express. Webster Division, McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, 1967. Illustrated by Marie Wabbes from a text by Marion Clark. The story of a young boy, Bill Cody, in the Wild West. Bill started working as a guard for a stage coach line when he was 10 and was hired as a Pony Express rider at 14. Includes a map of the Pony Express route on the front endpages and photos of ads and letters carried by the Pony Express on the back-end pages
Dolan, T. M. Guns of the Pony Express. Ulverscrof, 1997.
Driggs, Howard. The Pony Express Goes Through. J.B. Lippincott Co, New York, New York, 1963. Illustrated by William H. Jackson. It was a grave question whether a fast mail service could be maintained through summer and winter over the difficult route. The venture netted, during its history of sixteen months, a loss of fully $200,000 to its promoters.
Driggs, Howard R. Money Rock. A Drama of the Pony Express. American Pioneer Trails Association, Bayside, Long Island, 1960
Driggs, Howard R. The Old West Speaks. Bonanza Books, New York, 1956. Words of the Trappers, Hunters, Fighters and Explorers who Forged a Nation Out of the Wilderness. Recorded by an Historian Who Knew Many of These Men Personally. Color plates by William Henry Jackson.
Dubois, Gaylord. The Pony Express. Artist & Writers Guild, Inc., Grosset & Dunlap, New York, 1944
Durkee, Caroline Cain. Willie Whitewater. Burton, Kansas City, 1950. Includes a map of the Pony Express route. The story of W.R. Honnell’s life and adventures among the Indians as he grew up with the State of Kansas
Egan, Ferol. Sand in a Whirlwind: The Paiute Indian War 1860. University of Nevada Press, 1985.
Egan, Howard. Pioneering the West. Howard Egan Estate, Richmond, Utah, 1917. Thrilling Experiences of Pre-Frontier Life Among Indians; Their Traits, Civil and Savage, including excellent first-hand accounts of one of the major figures of the Pony Express.
Eligibility/Feasibility Study and Environmental Assessment for the National Historic Trail Authorization, California and Pony Express Trails. U. S. Department of the Interior/ National Park Service, 1987.
Ellenbecker, John G. The Pony Express. Eight-page pamphlet first published in 1937 and reprinted in 1969 by Raymond I. Ellenbecker. A very information document describing the Origin and Organization of the Pony Express; the Equipment’s, Riders, and Mail; Examples of Endurance; Location of Route; List of Riders.
Ellis, Edward S. The Pony Express Rider. Cassel, London. No date given but Ellis wrote in the late 1800’s and very early 1900’s. This is a rousing adventure story by an author who not only was an exhaustive researcher but who sought out people who lived of what he wrote. There are a number of personal anecdotes.
Ellis, Edward S. Alden Among the Indians: Search for the Missing Pony Express Rider. John C. Winston Co., Philadelphia, 1909. A Dime Novel, this book is the second in the Overland Series. The first book is Alden The Pony Express Rider (see above). The stories are of adventures with Indians and wild animals which were daily incidents in the lives of the Pony Express Riders on the Old California Trail. Illustrated by Edwin J. Prittie.
Ellis, Jerry. Bareback! One Man’s Journey Along the Pony Express Trail. Delacorte Press, New York, 1993. A history of the Pony Express combined with the author’s experience riding the Pony Express trail from St. Joseph to San Francisco.
Ellsworth, Lois Miller. Tales of Broncho Charlie, Youngest Rider of the Pony Express. Hollis Books, Alexandria, Virginia, 1999. An inspirational, humorous account of this real-life hero of the Old West. Told in Bronco Charlie’s own unique words.
Erskine, Gladys Shaw. Broncho Charlie: A Saga of the Saddle. Thomas Y. Crowell, New York, 1934. The life story of Broncho Charlie Miller, the last of the Pony Express riders.
Estes, Allison. Pony Express, Vol. 10. Pocket Books, 1997.
Eugene, Toni, Managing Editor. Great American Journeys. National Geographic Society, 1989. Four authors cover the delights of travel: By Horse and by Foot; Travels Afloat; Rails West; and Hitting the Roads. Some good material on the Pony Express.
Fauche, X. and J. Leturgie. Lucky Luke Le Pony Express. Darguard, Paris, 1988. Illustrated by Morris. French addition.
Fike, Richard E. and John W. Headley. The Pony Express Stations of Utah in Historical Perspective. Bureau of Land Management, Utah, 1979.
Findley, Rowe. A Buckaroo Stew of Fact and Legend: The Pony Express. National Geographic, Vol. 158, No. 1. National Geographic Society, Washington, D. C., July 1980.
Fleming, Alice. Highways into History. St. Martin’s Press, New York, 1971. Filled with little-known anecdotes and facts about the history of America, illustrated with photos and maps, this book narrates the colorful stories behind ten roads and trails that were the foundation of today’s United States. Of particular interest are the Boston Post Road and the Route of the Pony Express.
Floyd, William Harris. Phantom Riders of the Pony Express. Dorrance, Philadelphia, 1958. A history of this short-lived institution of the Old West. Included is a brief biographical outline of all the known riders.
Fontes, Ron and Justine Korman. Wild Bill Hickok and the Rebel Raiders. Disney Press, New York, 1993. This action packed historical novel brings to life the exciting legend of a man whose name is synonymous with the Old West.
Forman, Henry James. The Pony Express. Grossett & Dunlap, New York, New York, 1925. A Mighty Romance of the Gallant Post Riders of the Western Frontier a true RIP-ROARING tale of the west that never was. Several photos taken from the movie illustrate the narrative.
Fradkin, Philip L. Stagecoach: Wells Fargo and the American West. Free Press, New York, 2003. This is the epic story of Wells Fargo and the American West: the California Gold Rush, the transcontinental railroad, the Civil War, and the Indian wars. There is quite a bit of material on Wells Fargo and the Pony Express.
Frajola, Richard A. California Postal History: Public Auction December 14, 1985. Richard C. Frajola, Inc., Danbury, Connecticut, 1985. Catalogue for a Public Auction of the property of a prominent collector. Great illustrations and history of Pony Express covers.
Frajola, Richard. “Private Mails in the American West”. Monograph, 2001. Very good treatment of early private mail systems, including the Pony Express, from a philatelist’s point of view.
Frajola, Richard C., George J. Kramer, and Steven C. Walske. The Pony Express: A Postal History. The Philatelic Foundation, New York, 2005. This book should be of interest to students of the Pony Express as well as to postal historians. Includes: Photo census of the 250 known Pony Express covers; List of all Pony Express trips with departure and arrival dates: Postal history including an examination of the markings and usages; Operational phases and rate periods accurately delineated for the first time; Historical perspective on the management of the Pony Express; Detailed route maps. A truly beautiful volume.
Franzwa, Gregory M. The Oregon Trail Revisited. Patrice Press, Inc., St. Louis, Missouri, 1978. The story of the old Oregon Trail, as it was in its heyday and as it is today–a faint trace etched on the prairies and in the mountains, recalling the fading doctrine of Manifest Destiny. 140 illustrations, map.
Gamett, James and Stanley W. Paher. Nevada Post Offices, An Illustrated History. Nevada Publications, Las Vegas, Nevada, 1983. Good treatment of early express services in Nevada.
Gamett, James. Nevada Express, Wells, Fargo & Co. and Other Letter Expresses, 1857-1895. Leonard H. Hartmann, Philatelic Bibliopole, Louisville, Kentucky, 2002. A very complete work on express services in Nevada including the Central Overland Pony Express of 1860-61, as well as a number of other pony express type operations in Nevada.
Geiger, Maynard. The Franciscan “Pony Express” of California in 1803. Whitney T. Genns, Santa Barbara, 1972. This is the account of the death of Father Lasuen, second president of the California missions, in June 1803, and of the subsequent notification of the padres throughout California by horse messenger. Included in this booklet is a table of places, distances, and times for the ride, as well as, a reproduction of the actual document carried.
Geis, Jacqueline. The First Ride: Blazing the Trail for the Pony Express. Hableton Hill, 1994. Tracing the first westbound journey of the Pony Express from rider to rider across two thousand miles of rough country, a historically accurate documentation includes original artwork and maps.
Gilman, Musetta. Pump on the Prairie: A Chronicle of a Road Ranch 1859-1868. Harlo Press, Detroit, Michigan, 1972. After gold was discovered in Colorado a series of road ranches were established along the portion of the Oregon-California trail between Fort Kearney and Julesburg, Colorado. The Gilman ranch became a trading post for Indians and Pilgrims, a Pony Express Station, a Holladay Stage Station and an army post during the Indian War of 1864. They also provided services, supplies, and protection for those travelers on the trail. Contains a list of road ranches, bibliography, and index.
Glass, Andrew. The Sweetwater Run: The Story of Buffalo Bill Cody & the Pony Express. Delacorte Press, 1996.
Godfrey, Anthony. Historic Resource Study: Pony Express National Historic Trail. United States Department of the Interior/ National Park Service, 1994.
Godfrey, Anthony and Roy Webb. Pony Express Voyage of Discovery: The Story Behind the Scenery. KC Publications, Inc., Las Vegas, Nevada, 1999. Photography by Jeff Gnass. The legend of the Pony Express, a massive undertaking to unite the two coasts of America in 1860, spawned many half-truths and tall tales. Learn about the valiant pony riders, the hard-working station keepers, and the creative financiers – and the obstacles that constantly threatened their success.
Grant, Bruce. Pony Express, 1860-1861. Rand McNally & Company, Chicago, 1956.
Grant, Bruce. Famous American Trails. Rand McNally, 1971. Map and Line drawings by Loerence Bjorklund. Descriptions and maps of all the major trails important in America’s history — The Boston Post Road, The National Pike, The Wilderness Road, The Natchez Trace, The Chisholm Trail, The Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Mormon Trail, The Santa Fe Trail, The Pony Express Route, The Butterfield Overland Trail, the Oregon Trail, and El Camino Real.
Grant, Will. The Last Ride of the Pony Express: My 2,000-mile Horseback Journey into the Old West. Little, Brown and Company, 2023. Many NPEA members helped Will on his 2019 ride across the Pony Express Trail.
Gray, Arthur Amos. Men Who Built the West. The Caxton Printers, Ltd., Caldwell, Idaho, 1946. This volume covers those men who built the west — fur traders, frontier soldiers, cattlemen, and the Pony Express.
Grey, Zane. Western Union. Grosset & Dunlap Publishers, New York, 1939. In addition to the Transcontinental Telegraph (which ended the Pony Express), this fictional story touches on a wide range of topics related to Hiram Sibley, Edward Creighton, and the Pony Express. This was Zane Grey’s last book.
Gregory, Kristiana, Jimmy Spoon and the Pony Express. Scholastic, Incorporated, 1994. Sequel to Jimmy Spoon legend. Seventeen-year-old Jimmy becomes adventurous and joins the Pony Express…this is his story
Guthrie, C.W., The Pony Express, An Illustrated History, Globe Pequot Press, Guilford, CT, 2010
Hafen, LeRoy R. The Overland Mail. Quarterman Publications, Inc., Lawrence, Massachusetts, 1976.
Hamlin (Editor), Herbert S. The Pony Express Index. The Pony Express Publishers, Sonora, California, 1955. This book is an index for the Pony Express Courier, June 1934 to May 1944, and The Pony Express, June 1944 to May 1954.
Harlan, George H. San Francisco Bay Ferry Boats. Howell-North Books, Berkeley, California, 1967. This volume gives a definitive history of the 117 years that ferryboats have been part of San Francisco Bay, including information on the Antelope, New World, and Oakland.
Harlow, Alvin F. Old Waybills – The Romance of the Express Companies. Appleton-Century Co., New York, 1934. Illustrated history of express companies, including the Pony Express, Overland Mail, Wells Fargo, etc.
Harmer. The Louise Boyd Dale and Alfred F. Lichtenstein Collections: Pony Express History. H. R. Harmer, LLC, International Philatelic Auctioneers, May 13, 2004, New York. This is the auction catalog for the Dale-Lichtenstein collection of Pony Express postal history and represents the largest collection of strictly Pony Express covers to be put on the market in decades. It is a rare and unique reference book. It provides a nice companion to Nathan and Boggs and Frajola.
Harness, Cheryl. They’re Off! The Story of the Pony Express. Simon & Schuster, 1996. (Young Readers). Provides a factual, exciting account of the American postal system in the 1860s, covering the origins and history of the Pony Express, its daring riders and their struggles, and the tale of the first East to West connection ever made.
Hauck, Louise Platt. The Youngest Rider: A Story of the Pony Express. Lothrop, Lee & Shepherd Co., Boston, 1927.
Hawgood, John A. America’s Western Frontiers: The Exploration and Settlement of the Trans-Mississippi West. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1967. Includes: “Exploring and Exploiting the Louisiana Purchase”; “Fur Traders and Trappers”; “Breaking the Wagon Trails”; “By Land & Sea to El Dorado”; “Pony Express”; “Indian Problem”; “Cowman’s Frontier”. Also included is a wonderful facsimile reproduction from Hutchings’ California Magazine on the Pony Express. This was written in July 1860, so it is very contemporary. Included are a couple of pieces on Bartholomew Riley and Thomas Flynn.
Hawkins, Anne. To the Swift. Harper, New York, 1949. The first adult novel to bring to life the pony express and its brief history. California born author and daughter of a Texas Ranger. The story of the men and one woman who made the Pony Express a fabulous chapter in American history. The story is told from stories found in old pioneer diaries, reference works and 1860 newspapers.
Hawthorne, Hildegarde. Ox-Team Miracle, The Story of Alexander Majors. Longmans, Green & Co., New York, 1942.
Hearty, Patrick and Joe Hatch. The Pony Express Stations in Utah.79p, 2015. Arcadia Publishing.
Henry, Marguerite. SAN DOMINGO – The Medicine Hat Stallion. Pictures by Robert Lougheed. Rand McNally, 1972.
Hibler, Harold E. and Charles V. Kappen. So-Called Dollars – An Illustrated Standard Catalog with Valuations. The Coin and Currency Institute, Inc., Book Publishers, New York, 1963. The first extensive book ever written about “so-called dollars,” the specialized series of exposition, commemorative and monetary medals of dollar or near dollar size. The book illustrates and catalogs nearly 1000 known varieties of so-called dollars, including many Pony Express medals.
Hill, William E. The Pony Express Trail: Yesterday and Today. Caxton Press, Caldwell, Idaho, 2010. This is one of the most recent of a long line of books on the Pony Express, is an excellent reference to anyone interested in the Pony Express be they serious researchers, amateur or professional, or just arm chair explorers. Hill has written into one volume everything one needs to know to guide them through the legend and lore of this American icon.
Hoffman, H. Wilbur. Sagas of Old Western Travel and Transport. Howell North Publishers, Inc., San Diego, 1980. Large attractive volume lavishly illustrated with early photos, prints and paintings. Includes material on “Pack Trains”, “Traversing the Trails by Wagon”, “Westward by Handcart”, “Traveling by Stagecoach”, “Pony Express”, “Early Western Trains” and more.
Holy Bible. American Bible Society, New York. Presented to riders commemorating the 1960 Pony Express Centennial Reenactment.
Howard, Robert West. Hoofbeats of Destiny: The Story of the Pony Express. Signet, 1960. The Story of the Pony Express’ critical role in holding the West “for the Union” during the intrigues of “Secesh” and the Confederacy’s campaign to steal all of the United States of American west of the Mississippi River.
Hungerford, Edward. Wells Fargo, Advancing the American Frontier. Random House, New York, 1949. The turbulent history of a great western enterprise that began during the gold strike of ’49, operated its mails on the Pony Express, pioneered daring stagecoach lines, and today prospers in American banking and transportation.
Hughes, Holly. Hoofbeats Of Danger. Pleasant Company Publications, Middleton, Wisconsin, 1999. Fiction. In 1860, eleven-year-old Annie, who lives at the Red Buttes Pony Express station in the Nebraska Territory, asks Billy Cody to help her find the person responsible for sabotaging her favorite pony Magpie.
Holm, Stef Ann. Crossings. Pocket Star Books, New York, 1996. The pony express station they own in the wilds of the Nevada Territory means everything to Helena Gray. That’s why she trudges up a lonely mountain to ask the town hermit to marry her. Helena needs his reputation to keep her station open after her father’s brutal murder.
Hunt, Rockwell Dennis and William Sheffield Adams. Oxcart to Airplane. Powell Publishing Company, Los Angeles, 1929. Examines the history of growth in California through transportation including the importance of the Pony Express.
Jabusch, David M. and Susan C. Pathway to glory: the Pony Express and stage stations in Utah. Salt Lake City: Treasure Press, 1996
Jackson, Clarence S. Pagent of the Pioneers: The Veritable Art of William H. Jackson. Harold Ward Pioneer Village, Minden, Nebraska, 1958. The 19th Century paintings and drawings of noted photographer William Henry Jackson, with emphasis on Native Americans, pioneers, and Pony Express. 100+ illustrations, 40 in color. A great resource on a great artist.
Jackson, W. Turrentine. A New Look at Wells Fargo, Stagecoaches and the Pony Express. California Historical Society Quarterly, San Francisco, December 1966, (Pamphlet)
Jackson, W. Turrentine. Wells Fargo’s Pony Express. Journal of the West, Vol XI #3, July 1972. (Pamphlet)
James, Allan. The Mail Must Go Through! A Story of the Pony Express. Samuel Lowe Co., Kenosha, Wisconsin, 1949. Illustrated by R. Osborne.
James, George Wharton. Heroes of California. Little, Brown, and Company, Boston, 1910. The story of the founders of the Golden State as narrated by themselves or gleaned from other sources. One chapter is devoted to “The Daring Heroes of the Pony Express and the Overland Stage.” Probably one of the first real accounts of the exploits of the Pony Express.
Jensen, Lee. The Pony Express. Grosset & Dunlap, New York, 1955. Illustrated with a unique collection of historical pictures assembled by the author. Original drawings by Nicholas Eggenhofer.
Jessen, Kenneth C. An Ear in His Pocket: The Life of Jack Slade. J.V. Publications, 1996.
Johnston, Dorothy Grunbock. Cathy and Carl Ride the Pony Express. Scripture Press Foundation, Wheaton, Illinois, 1958.
Johnston, Mairin. Pony Express. Attic In Book, 1993. (Bright Sparks Series, Young Adult).
Jones, Newell. “The Jackass Mail Preceded the Pony Express.” Frontier Times, vol. 14, No. 10, July 1937. Published by J. Marvin Hunter, Bandera, Texas
Jordan, Shirley. The Pony Express: Heroes in the Saddle. Perfection Learning Corporation, Logan, Iowa, 2001. This is a Cover-to-Cover Moments in History Book. Includes a timeline of important events and an index
Kasson, Joy S. Buffalo Bill’s Wild West. Hill and Wang, New York, 2000. This book will appeal to a cross-section of Wild West aficionados and scholars of 19th-century media. With prose that’s never too academic, Kasson delivers a fine analysis of an American folk hero who was at once a shameless self-promoter and an important architect of our national myth of the Wild West
Katz, William Loren. The Black West. Simon & Schuster, New York, 1996. Drawing on letters, diaries, and other personal writings, as well as on official documents, this richly illustrated, meticulously documented look at a little-known aspect of African-American history captures the unique experiences of these pioneers.
Kirsch, Robert and Robert S. Murphy. West of the West: Witness to the California Experience, 1542-1906. E. P. Dutton, New York, 1967. Explorers and soldiers, merchants and lawyers, mountain men and prdiests, housewives and miners, lawmen and outlaws; virtually every sort of person made written records of their experiences in California at a time when they were thoroughly engaged in action. This anthology is a record of their deeds and thoughts. The emphasis is on witness, direct, proximate, and frequently unadorned. Includes “Overland Mail and Pony Express” and “California and the Civil War”.
Knapp, Edward S. Pony Express. Scott Stamp & Coin Company, Ltd, New York, 1936. Excellent pamphlet with many photos, mostly of letters and stamps, relating to the company’s business. It is divided into three parts: the Pony Express of 1860-61, the period operated by Wells-Fargo, and the Virginia City Pony of 1862-64.
Knowlton, Laurie Lazzatro. Why Cowboys Need a Partner. Pelican Publishing Co., 1998. Illustrated by James Rice.
Knudsen, Dean. An Eye for History. The Paintings of William Henry Jackson. Scotts Bluff National Monument, The Oregon Trail Museum Association, Gering, Nebraska. From the Collection at the Oregon Trail Museum
Kroll, Steven. Pony Express! Scholastic, Incorporated,1996. The story of the first Pony Express ride captures the spirit of the California Gold Rush and places the modern mail service in an entirely new perspective with a mini-museum of the Post Office that details pre-Pony Express activities.
Kullman, Harry. Pony Express. University of London Press, Ltd., 1965. First published in Sweden in 1955 under the title, Ponnyexpressen. Translated by Evelyn Ramsden.
Lake, A.L. Pony Express. Rourke Corp, 1990. (Wild West in American History Series, Juvenile, grades 3-8). Describes the history of the Pony Express and the daring riders who risked their lives to deliver the mail.
Larom, Henry V. Bronco Charlie – Rider of the Pony Express. McGraw-Hill, New York, 1951. Illustrated by Wesley Dennis.
Layne, J. Gregg. Western Wayfaring: Routes of Exploration and Trade in the American Southwest. Automobile Club of Southern California, Los Angeles, 1954. Historical essays, with 28 maps, of the principal routes through the southwest from 1806 to 1869, including “Central Overland Mail Route”, “California Pony Express”, and the “Butterfield Overland Mail Route”.
Leal, Melba. Women and the Pony Express: A Modern Tale of Changing Tradition. iUniverse, Inc., New York, 2006. This book was written as a historical account as it was lived by women, and recorded on behalf of women, having the desire to be a twentieth century Pony Express rider. It too, was written for the respect and love of and for horses.
LeFors, Rufe. “Facts As I Remember Them”, The Autobiography of Rufe LeFors. Edited by John Allen Peterson. University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas, 1986. This is a firsthand account of Rufe LeFors in West Texas, from the time of the Civil War to the early 1900s. Over the years he was a trail driver, pony express rider in New Mexico, rancher, and later sheriff of Lawton, Oklahoma
Lewin, Jacqueline and Marilyn Taylor. On the Winds of Destiny: A Biographical Look at Pony Express Riders. Platte Purchase Publishers, A Division of the St. Joseph Museum In., St. Joseph, Missouri, 2002. Photographs and biographies of 61 Riders, 3 Founders, 1 Superintendent, and 4 Division Superintendents.
Lockley, Fred. Vigilante Days at Virginia City. Koke-Tiffany Co., Eugene, Oregon, 1924. Personal narrative of Col. Henry E. Dosch, member of Fremont’s Body Guard and one-time Pony Express rider for Wells Fargo between Virginia City and Friday’s Station.
Loeb, Julius. “The Pony Express”. The American Philatelist. Vol. 44, No. 2, Federalsburg, Maryland, November 1930. This article gives a very good accounting of the Pony Express and includes a number of Riders’ names not found elsewhere.
Loomis, Noel M. Wells Fargo, An Illustrated History. Bramhall House, New York, 1968. A detailed and incisive history with over 300 illustrations, this book captures the flavor of the west and the excitement of one of the great institutions of past and present America. This history covers the time from 1852 when the company was formed until 1918 when the express service ended. Of particular interest are chapters on the Jackass Mail, Pony Express, and Overland Mail.
Lounsbury, Keith. Horse Feathers, The Story of a Pony Express Rider. Creative Printing, Huron, South Dakota, 1990. Illustrations by Greg Weeldreyer. Written by a retired elementary school principal, his love of and fascination with the Pony Express was a life-long passion.
Loving, Mabel F. The Pony Express Rides On! A History of the Central Overland Pony Express 1860-1861. Rubidoux Printing Co., St. Joseph, 1961
Lucia, Ellis. The Saga of Ben Holladay, Giant of the Old West. Hastings House Publishers, New York, 1959. Adventurer, trader, explorer, Indian fighter, builder, and lord of most everything that rolled in the frontier West–Holladay was the greatest transportation tycoon our country has ever known.
Mabey, Charles Rendell. The Pony Express: An Epic of the Old West. The Beverly Craftsmen, Salt Lake City, 1940. The saga of the Pony Express done in poetic form with much mention of the Mormons.
MacMullen, Jerry. Paddle Wheel Days in California. Stanford University Press, 1960. Here is a comprehensive history of these inland steamers, gathered from scattered bits of printed material and from personal accounts of the river men. Includes information on the Antelope and New World.
Majors, Alexander. Seventy Years on the Frontier, Memoirs of a Lifetime On The Frontier. University of Nevada Press, 1991. The romantic but short-lived Pony Express and the freighting firm of Russell, Majors and Waddell were episodes that contributed mightily to the westward expansion, and these early struggles, triumphs and failures are recounted here by the man who could readily admit that “part of it I was and all of it I saw.”
Martin, Greg, The Parker Lyon-Harrah’s Pony Express Museum: A Photographic Essay. Chrysopolis Press, San Francisco, 1987. Photographic history and reference guide to the greatest western artifact collection ever assembled. Collection was disposed of by series of auctions ending in 1986.
Mason, Dorothy. Pony Express in Nevada. Compiled by Nevada Bureau of Land Management, Published by Harrah’s 1976. One of the best resources to describe the Pony Express stations across Nevada.
Mattes, Merrill. Scotts Bluff National Monument. National Park Service, Washington, D.C., 1983.
Mattes, Merrill J. The Great Platte River Road: The Covered Wagon Mainline Via Fort Kearney To Fort Laramie. Nebraska State Historical Society, 1969. The Great Platte River Road through Nebraska and Wyoming was the grand corridor of America’s westward expansion. The Trapper’s Trail, The Oregon Trail, the Council Bluffs Road, The California Road, the Pony Express route and the military road from Fort Leavenworth to Fort Laramie all converged in the broad valley of the Platte. This book is a study in depth of border towns, trail routes, river crossings, Indian encounters, stage stations, military posts and the famous North Platte Valley landmarks. A chronology, original maps, contemporary sketches, modern photographs, and a comprehensive bibliography-including the most thorough compendium of overland journals published to date-are valuable aids to the reader.
Mattes, Merrill and Paul Henderson. “Pony Express from St. Joseph to Fort Laramie”. Nebraska History Quarterly Magazine, Vol. 41, Number 2, Nebraska State Historical Society, Lincoln, Nebraska, 1960. Considered by many to be one of the best researched books on the Pony Express across Nebraska. This document is the original of the publication which was reprinted in 1989 by Patrice Press.
Mattes, Merrill and Paul Henderson. Pony Express from St. Joseph to Fort Laramie. Patrice Press, 1989.
McCall, Edith. Mail Riders: Paul Revere to Pony Express. Grosset & Dunlap, Publishers, New York, 1961.
McCarty, Gary. The Pony Express War. Bantam Books, New York, New York, 1980.
McCormick, Anita Louise. The Pony Express in American History. Enslow Publishers, Inc., Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, 2001. McCormick traces the history of the Pony Express as it provided reliable communications for Americans. A number of internet addresses are listed for further research, including the Pony Express Home Station.
McDonald, Brix. Riding the Wind. Avenue Publishing, West Hollywood, California, 1999.
McLaglen, John. Herne the Hunter 21: Pony Express. Corgi Books, London, 1983. Jed Herne, riding the vengeance trail, is hunting down Charley Howell, a former galloper with the Pony Express. Twenty-first in a savage Western series
McLain, Bill. What Makes Flamingos Pink. Harper Collins Publishers, New York, 2001. This colorful collection of Q & A’s for the unquenchably curious includes a section on the Pony Express and makes reference to the Pony Express Home Station web site for additional research.
McMurtry, Larry. The Colonel and Little Missie: Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakley, and the Beginnings of Stardom in America. Simon & Schuster, New York, 2005. Chronicles the rise to fame, fortune, and international celebrity of two of the West’s most enduring figures, and America’s first real superstars. Discusses at length the importance the that the Pony Express played in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. McMurtry has his take on whether or not Cody was ever a Pony Express rider.
Mellard, Rudolph. Pony Express, Carry My Message! Anson Jones Press, Salado, Texas, 1979.
Memling, Carl. The Pony Express. Parent’s Magazine Press, Inc., New York, 1962. Children’s book fully illustrated by William Moyers.
Mercati, Cynthia. The Pony Express. Perfect Learning Corporation, Logan, Iowa, 2000.
Miller, Robert. Reflections of a Black Cowboy (Book Three: Pioneers). Silver Burdett Press, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1991. Introduces such nearly-forgotten figures as York, a slave who guided the Lewis and Clark expedition; Pony Express rider George Monroe; and others.
Moeller, Bill and Jan. The Pony Express, A Photographic History. Mountain Press Publishing Company, Missoula, Montana, 2002. This photographic retelling of the rise and fall of the Pony Express combines historical research with great camera work to create a stunning, full-color pictorial history.
Monaghan, Jay. The Great Rascal: The Life and Adventures of Ned Buntline. Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 1952.
Moody, Ralph. Riders of the Pony Express. Houghton Mifflin, 1958. An authentic and thrilling account of the brave young riders who during 1860 and ’61 wrote a glowing chapter of western history and galloped to immortality. Illustrated by Robert Riger; outstanding maps by Leonard Derwinski.
Moody, Ralph. Stagecoach West. Thomas Y. Crowell Company, New York, 1967. A highly acclaimed narrative of how the stagecoach express linked the nation together. A perfect guide to learning about communication on the frontier.
Morgan, Gene. Westward the Course of Empire: The Story of the Pony Express, Forerunner of the Burlington Zephers. The Lakeside Press, Chicago, 1945.
Mossman, Isaac Van Dorsey. A Pony Expressman’s Recollections. Champoeg Press, 1955.
Nankin, Frances (Editor). The Pony Express 1860-1861, Coblestone, Vol. 2, No. 10. Cobblestone Publishing Company, Peterborough, New Hampshire, October 1981.
Nathan, M. C. and W. S. Boggs. The Pony Express. Collectors Club, New York, New York, 1962.
Needham, H.C. and Dr. V.M. Berthold. Hand Stamped Franks Used as Cancellation on Pony Express Letters 1860 and 1861 and the Pony Express Stamps and Their Use. Collectors Club Philatelist, New York, New York, 1927.
Nevin, David. The Expressmen. Time-Life Books, Alexandria, Virginia, 1974.
O’Dell, Roy Paul and Kenneth C. Jessen. An Ear in His Pocket: The Life of Jack Slade. J.V. Publications, Loveland, Colorado, 1996.
Peters, Arthur King. Seven Trails West. Abbeville Press, 1996. This book explores the major routes that linked the eastern U.S. to the Far West.
Pierson, James R. The Pony Express Trail 1860-1861. Pony Express Production, St. Joseph, Missouri, 1960. This book has a number of old photographs of Pony Express sites.
Pinney, Marie. “Charles Becker, Pony Express Rider and Oregon Pioneer.” Oregon Historical Quarterly, September 1966, Oregon Historical Society, Portland, Oregon, 1966. A concise biography of a Pony Express rider.
Photography, Carla E. Rider on the Pony Express Trail: Volume 1, 2015-2016, Sacramento, California to Salt Lake City, Utah
Photography, Carla E. Rider on the Pony Express Trail: Volume 2, 2017, Sacramento, California to Salt Lake City, Utah
The Pony Express #1. Edited by Donna Pleasants, Palomino Press, 1993. This is a fanzine for The Young Riders television series and contains stories, art and poetry, plus some photos of real Pony Express Stations.
Pony Express Guide Book. Jamison Press, 1984. (Desert Rat Guidebook Series No. 3).
Porter, Donald Clayton. Pony Express. Bantam Books, New York, New York, 1983.
Powell, Sandy. Cowboy Culture: Capturing the Spirit of the Old West in the Sierra Nevada. It was a thrilling time, when wagon trains and stagecoaches raced to the California goldfields – on the trail where the dust and campfire smoke met. In the shadow of the towering Sierra Nevada, the real Wild West – that Hollywood would spend a century trying to recreate – was born. And it still lives today, in the extraordinary people who pack mule-strings into the mountains, race over mountain passes on horseback while recreating the Pony Express, and drive cattle out of the high country each fall. It lives on beneath the massive wheels of the 20 mule team wagons and teams of draft horses pulling historic wagons over a mountain pass.
Quasha, Jennifer. The Pony Express: Hands-on Projects About Early Communication. The Rosen Publishing Group, New York, 2001
Rau, Margaret. The Mail Must Go Through: The Story of the Pony Express. Morgan Reynolds Publishing, Greensboro, North Carolina, 2005. 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. The Afterword: “Preserving the Pony Express Trail”, was authored by Larry Carpenter, Corresponding Secretary, National Pony Express Association.
Reddin, Paul. Wild West Shows. University of Illinois Press, Chicago, 1999. Focusing on such pivotal figures as George Catlin, Buffalo Bill Cody, and Tom Mix, Reddin traces the rise and fall of this popular entertainment. Frequent reference is given to the Pony Express being an integral part of these shows.
Reinfeld, Fred. Pony Express. University of Nebraska Press, 1973. An authentic account of the establishment of the first rapid-communications system between East and West. Packed with adventure and real-life heroes — Bob Haslam, who rode unharmed through an ambush of thirty Paiute Indians; Jack Keetley, Warren Upson, and the most famous rider of all, Buffalo Bill Cody. A rousing chronicle of the Old West, when danger marked each galloping trip across the two thousand miles of mountains, plains, and deserts that separated St Joseph and San Francisco.
Robert A. Siegel. The Pony Express: The Collection formed by Thurston Twigg-Smith. Robert A Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc., New York, 2009. Hardbound auction catalog of the Thurston Twigg-Smith Collection of Pony Express covers. The Twigg-Smith collection is probably the greatest ever assembled to date. This catalog weaves together the history of the Pony Express as illustrated by the covers letters carried by the Pony Express.
Robinet, Harriette Gillem. Twelve Travelers, Twenty Horses. Aladdin Paperbacks, New York, 2003. Thirteen-year-old Jacob Israel Christmas’ hope for freedom fades when a new, rich master buys him and nine other slaves at auction. When Honorable Mister, who seems both naive and foolish, sets out from Missouri on a 2,000-mile trip to California with his pregnant wife, three coaches, 20 horses, and his slaves, plenty of trouble lies ahead. When Jacob overhears Honorable’s plot to rob a Pony Express rider to steal wages and prevent 1860 election news from reaching the west, he determines to thwart the plan, save California for the Union, and, with Lincoln’s election, gain his freedom.
Robbins, Robert Lash. Thunder Before Lightning, the Pony Express in Stamp and Story. Pacific Press Inc., Los Angeles, California, 1961. With 100 water color sketches by Alberto Vargas creator of ‘The Varga Girl’.” This is perhaps one of the rarest Alberto Vargas items. The 100 color sketches are the 100 stamps with images 1″x “. The stamps are designed to be pasted into the saddle-stitch “stamp album” to augment the 100 true text pieces documenting the history of the Pony Express.
Rodney, William. Kootneai Brown: Canada’s Unknown Frontiersman. Heritage House Publishing Company Ltd, Surrey, B.C. 1996. Brown’s remarkable adventurous life in Canada began in British Columbia in 1862 during the Cariboo Gold Rush and Wild Horse Creek Rush where he became a British Columbia Provincial Policeman (first law force in Western Canada). He was a PONY EXPRESS RIDER in the Dakota Territory on what was known as the “Northern Overland Pony Express”. Outstanding account of one of the West great legendary figures.
Rolt-Wheeler, Francis. The Boy with the U. S. Mail. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co., Boston, 1916. A good account of the first east and westbound trips of the Pony Express. May be fairly accurate because of the proximity in time to the events.
Rood, Steve E., Editor. A Complete Book of Silver Art Bars. J. Archie Kidd, Publisher, 1991. A listing of over 6,000 Silver Art Bars, including several with Pony Express themes
Root, Frank A., and William E. Connelly. Overland Stage to California: Personal Reminisces & Authentic History of the Great Overland Stage Line & Pony Express. Higginson Book Co., 1989. (Reprint of 1901 edition). Root’s personal reminiscences of his first overland trip as a mail messenger in 1863. The stage stations he describes are two years older than the Pony Express stations of 1861, but they are still the same stations. His dissertation on “The Overland Pony Express,” reflecting personal acquaintance with some of the riders is a classic.
Rosa, Joseph G. The West of Wild Bill Hickok. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma, 1982. This book reproduces in one volume all the known portraits of Wild Bill Hickok, together with a selection of photographs of his family, friends, foes, and the places that knew him.
Rosa, Joseph G. Wild Bill Hickok: The Man and His Myth. University Press of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, 1996. Excavating the reality behind the myth, Rosa delves into the exploits and ego that defined Hickok and shows how the man was overtaken by his own legend.
Rosenberg, Bruce A. The Code of the West. Indiana University Press, Bloomington, 1982. A look at some of the most durable legends of Frontier Days: Jesse James, Custer, Pony Express, the Earp’s, Doc Holliday, etc.
Russell, Don. The Lives and Legends of Buffalo Bill. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma, 1960.
Ryder, Lyn. Road Ranches Along the Oregon Trail, 1858 to 1868. Prairie Lark Publications, Niwot, Colorado, 1995.
Ruthenberg, Stephen. Lincoln’s Letter Travels the Pony Express. RGS Publishing, 2023. Based on a true story about the fastest letter that ever traveled the Pony Express. Lincoln’s Letter was one of the most important letters ever delivered in the history of the country. Join this exciting adventure through the Wild West with the letter that helped save a nation.
Sabin, Edwin L. Buffalo Bill and the Overland Trail. J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia, 1914. Being the story of how boy and man worked hard and played hard to blaze the white trail, by wagon train, stage coach and Pony Express, across the Great Plains and the mountains beyond, that the American Republic might expand and flourish. Illustrations by Charles H. Stephens.
Savage, Jeff. Pony Express Riders of the Wild West, Library Ed. (Trailblazers of the Wild West Series). Enslow Publishers, Incorporated 1995.
Schnetzler, Pattie. Fast ‘n’ Snappy. Carolrhoda Books, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, 2004. Fast the alligator and Snappy the frog, the best partner a Hop-to-It Express rider ever had, speed west with an important letter from President A. Blinkin while Gila Joe and his snakes try to stop them at every turn. Includes facts about the Pony Express.
Schurfranz, Vivian. Josie. Scholastic, Inc., New York, 1988. Joise is a young girl torn between two lovers. One a dashing young Pony Express rider and the other a quiet caring man. Then in a daring ride for the Pony Express she is captured by outlaws and changes her heart and her life.
Scott, Bob. Slade! The True Story of the Notorious Badman. High Plains Press, Glendo, Wyoming, 2004. The truth and the myth about the notorious Slade, the most feared man in the Old West.
Serven, James F. Conquering The Frontiers: Stories Of American Pioneers And The Guns Which Helped Them Establish A New Life. Foundation Press, La Habre, 1974. The story of the men and guns of America’s Colonial Military, Frontier Military, Texas Rangers, Mountain Men, Pony Express Riders, Buffalo Hunters, Cowboys, Miners, and other participants in the historic movement West. Profusely illustrated with photographs and drawings.
Settle, Raymond. Pony Express, Heroic Beginning – Tragic End. Utah Historical Quarterly, Vol. XXVII (April 1959).
Settle, Raymond W. and Mary Lund Settle. The Story of the Pony Express. W. Foulsham & Co. Ltd., London, 1955. This the same book as Saddles and Spurs with some differing illustrations. Most importantly is does have an index. Unfortunately, because of the different layouts between the two versions it is not possible to apply the index from The Story of the Pony Express to Saddles and Spurs.
Settle, Raymond W. and Mary Lund Settle. Empire on Wheels. Stanford University Press, 1949. Well researched account of Russell, Majors& Waddell and their Overland Express which operated during the late 1840s and 1850s.
Settle, Raymond W. and Mary Lund Settle. Saddles and Spurs: The Pony Express Saga. University of Nevada Press, 1972. Acknowledged as one of the most complete books on the Pony Express, its only draw back is that it does not include an index. Settle also wrote The Story of the Pony Express which was published in England. This the same book as Saddles and Spurs with some differing illustrations. Most importantly is does have an index. Unfortunately, because of the different layouts between the two versions it is not possible to apply the index from The Story of the Pony Express to Saddles and Spurs.
Settle, Raymond W. and Mary Lund Settle. War Drums and Wagon Wheels: The Story of Russell, Majors & Waddell. University of Nebraska Press, 1966.
Shaffer, Ann. The Camel Express: It Really Happened.. Illustrated by Robin Cole. Dole Press, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1989. A fictional account of how a camel fills in for a wounded pony on a Pony Express route.
Shead, Ted. “Pony Express – They Rode the Wild and Vacant Land”, Real West Year Book, Spring 1974, Charlton Publications, Derby, Connecticut, 1974.
Sherwood, Elmer. Buffalo Bill and the Pony Express. Whitman Publishing Co., Racine, Wisconsin. 1900s? Very early Whitman Book. Illustrations by Neil O’Keffe.
Sherwood, Elmer. Buffalo Bill’s Boyhood. Whitman Publishing Co., Racine, Wisconsin. 1900s? Very early Whitman Book. Illustrations by Neil O’Keffe.
Sherwood, Elmer. Buffalo Bill – The Boy’s Friend. Whitman Publishing Co., Racine, Wisconsin, 1917. Illustrations by Neil O’Keffe.
Shirley, Glenn. Pawney Bill, A Biography of Major Gordon W. Lillie. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1958. Majo Gordon Lillie, who became world famous as Pawney Bill, was a rival, then partner of Buffalo Bill in the spectacular Wild West shows. Of particular interest was his depiction of the Pony Express in his shows.
Skelton, Charles L. Riding West on the Pony Express. Macmillan, New York, 1937. Beautifully illustrated by the famous Paul Quinn. Riding West has some factual matter never before published, including a correct description of J. A. Slade, the most colorful individual connected with the Pony Express.
Slatta, Richard W. The Mythical West, An Encyclopedia of Legend, Lore, and Popular Culture. ABC-Clio, Santa Barbara, California, 2001. Section on the Pony Express has a very good discussion on the treatment of the Pony Express by the print and film media.
Smith, Waddell F. Pony Express versus Wells Fargo; or Hoofprints that can not be eroded by time. Pony Express History and Art Gallery, San Rafael, 1966.
Smith, Waddel F. Stage Lines and Express Companies in California. Pony Express History and Art Gallery, San Rafael, 1965.
Smith, Waddell F. The Story of the Pony Express – Custom Library Edition. Pony Express History and Art Gallery, San Rafael, 1964. This is a post centennial edition of Bradley’s book. Includes quite a bit of information on the 1960 Centennial celebration of the Pony Express
Smith, Waddel F. Stage Lines and Express Companies in California. Pony Express History and Art Gallery, San Rafael, 1965.
Smith, Waddell F. The Story of the Pony Express – Official 1960 Centennial Edition. Hesperian House, San Francisco, 1960.
Sotheby Western Expresses, Postal History Sotheby Park Bernet Stamp Auction Co., Inc., Danbury, Connecticut, 1978. This auction catalogue contains several a large number Pony Express covers, and is a rare and unique reference book. It provides a nice companion to Nathan and Boggs.
Spring, Agnes Wright. The Cheyenne and Black Hills Stage and Express Routes. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, 1948. Includes information on a “pony express” that carried mail to the mines.
Stanford, Don and Vern Baker. Must Be Good Riders: Orphans Preferred. Illustrated by Stan Campbell. Funk & Wagnalls Company, Inc., New York, 1962. Here is a story full of lore — and the lure — of the old West, where life was at best a precarious affair, and the fearless boy riders of the Pony Express — not one of them over eighteen — answered the ominous description of its advertisements.
Steele, William O. We Were There with the Pony Express. Historical consultant Selvester Vigilante. Illustrated by Frank Vaughn. Grosset & Dunlap, New York, 1956.
Stein, R. Conrad. The Story of the Pony Express. Children’s Press, Chicago, 1981. (Juvenile).
Steele, Phillip W. and Steve Cottrell. Civil War in the Ozarks. Pelican Publishing Company, Gretna, Louisiana, 2000. A look at the heroes, outlaws, and peacemakers who influenced the role the Ozarks played in the war between the states, including the circumstances surrounding the death of Johnny Fry.
Stong, Phil. Horses and Americans. Frederick A. Stokes Company, New York, 1939. A history of horses in America from the arrival of the Arab Plains horses sometime around 1600, through the colonial period, taking in the Revolutionary War, Western migration and Cowboys, the Pony Express, the Civil War, the U.S. Cavalry, thoroughbred racing, and so on through the early 1930s.
A Documentary History of William Henry and Mary Amelia Richards Streeper. William Henry Streeper Family Organization, 1989.
Stutheit, Ted. The Pony Express on the Oregon Trail. Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, 1987. Historical booklet with route map showing Pony Express stops between Rock Creek Station, Nebraska and Fort Laramie, Wyoming. Great detailed information on stage stations of the route, listing legal descriptions as well as other very useful facts in locating these stations.
Summerfield, Arthur E. told to Charles Hurd. U.S. Mail The Story of the United States Postal Service. Holt Rinehart Winston, New York, 1960.
Talmadge, Marian and Iris Gilmore. Pony Express Boy. Dodd, Mead, New York, 1956.
Tate, Nikki. Jo’s Triumph. Orca Book Publishers, Custer, Washington, 2002. This is the story of a young girl who, disguised as a boy, finds a job and adventure carrying the mail for the Pony Express.
Thompson, John. America’s Historic Trails. National Geographic Society, Washington, D. C., 2001. Fourteen designated national historic trails wind through the American landscape — and through our country’s history. The trails are Juan Bautista De Anza Trail; Overmountain Victory Trail; Lewis & Clark Trail; Santa Fe Trail; Trail of Tears; Oregon Trail; California Trail; Mormon Pioneer Trail; Pony Express Trail; Nez Perce Trail; Iditarod Trail; and Selma to Montgomery Trail. This book is filled with stunning contemporary photographs and period illustrations, fascinating facts and remarkable tales, as well as useful information for travelers.
Toponce, Alexander. Reminiscences of Alexander Toponce. University of Oklahoma Press, 1971. Introduction by Robert Griffen.
Totton, Kathryn. Fort Churchill, Nevada Military Outpost of the 1860’s. Nevada Publications, Las Vegas, Nevada, 1981.
Tousey, Sanford. Jerry and the Pony Express. Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1936. Full page color and other B&W illustrations highlight this remarkable story of the first pony express riders.
Townley, John M. The Pony Express Guide Book: Across Nevada with the Pony Express and Overland Stage Line. Great Basin Studies Center. (No date, however, text appears to be early version of Townley’s The Overland Stage, see below.) Very good historical account with good driving directions to the Pony Express and Overland Stage stations in Nevada.
Townley, John M. The Overland Stage, A History and Guidebook. Jamison Station Press, Reno, Nevada, 1994. “Mile by mile, over the West’s most dangerous, adventure-filled stage line. Cross 1900 miles between the Missouri River and the Mother Lode following 250 accurate maps and detailed road directions.” Includes a lot of information on Pony Express station sites.
Trepel, Scott R. Wells, Fargo & Company 1861 Pony Express Issues. Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc., New York, New York, 2005. An excellent treatise that explains when and why the Wells Fargo & Company’s Pony Express stamps were issued, how the printing plates were prepared, and identifies the features that make it possible to assign any given stamp to its original position on the sheet. This as an excellent resource for any stamp collector interested in Pony Express stamps.
Twain, Mark. Roughing It. The American Publishing Company, Hartford, Connecticut, 1903. Contains a magnificent and oft-quoted description of a Pony Express rider in action near Scottsbluff, Nebraska. There is also a wonderful description of his meeting with Jack Slade. Fully illustrated by eminent artists
Twain, Mark. Roughing It. The New American Library, Inc., New York, 1962. Signet Classic paperback.
Van der Linde, Laurel. Pony Express. MacMillan Child Corp, 1993. Recounts the legend of the Pony Express, from its first trip from Missouri to Sacramento in April of 1860 until eighteen months later, when financial difficulties, the telegraph line, and the Civil War caused it to collapse.
Visscher, William Lightfoot. Pony Express, A Thrilling and Truthful History. Vistabooks, 1980.An authentic narrative with photographs of the Pony Express and the Old West.
Wabbes, Marie. Bill of the Pony Express. Adam & Charles Black, London 1967. History of the Pony Express for younger readers.
Ward, Geoffrey C. The West: An Illustrated History. Little, Brown and Company, 1996. Full of antique photographs covering full range of western frontier – outlaws, warfare, Indians, religious movements, Pony Express, railroads, Indian campaigns, treaties, etc.
Walker, Joseph. How They Carried the Mail. Jr. Literary Guild, New York, 1930. A history of mail service from 3,000 BC through the Pony Express, early aviation, right down to our ‘modern air mail service’ (1930).
Watson, Jude. Impetuous: Mattie’s Story. Aladdin Paperbacks Ed. S&s Childrens, 1995. Seventeen-year-old Mattie leaves her sister Ivy in Last Chance, California, and disguises herself as a boy in order to get a job with the Pony Express, finding adventure, facing danger, and falling in love.
Webster, Frank V. Jack of the Pony Express or the Young Rider of the Mountain Trails. Cupples & Leon Co., New York, 1915.
West, Tom. The Story Of The Pony Express: Heroes On Horseback. Four Winds Press, New York, 1969. The story of the Pony Express and it’s eighteen adventure filled months. William Russell, Alexander Majors and William Waddell the founders and their pony riders, “Buffalo Bill” Cody, “Bolly” Bulwinkle, Ben Ficklin, “Wild Bill” Hickok, and a whole cast of Daredevils, on who the Pony Express flourished, and became a legend in their lifetime.
Westover, L. Egan. Pony Express Adventures. Pony Express Books, Kaysville, Utah, 2010. A storybook of actual, exciting stories with rich, colorful pictures, commemorates the 150th Anniversary of the Pony Express, 1860-2010. An educator in Utah for over 20 years, L. Egan Westover has compiled and retold the daring escapades of Pony Express riders like Major Howard Egan, “Pony Bob” Haslam and “Buffalo Bill” Cody. Full of factual information, the stories are written to be enjoyed by both adults and children. These historical figures and their adventures are truly brought to life by the beautiful illustrations of western and wildlife artist, Bob Child. The book also includes a map of the Pony Express route and an information section with interesting facts, such as how far and how fast riders rode, how much the mail weighed, and what conditions the riders faced.
Wetmore, Helen Cody. Last of Great Scouts . The Duluth Press Publishing Company, Chicago, 1899. The Life Story of Col. William F. Cody “Buffalo Bill” as told by his sister. Two plates by Remington and 9 by Deming
Wilkerson, J.L. Frontier Freighter: Alexander Majors. Acorn Books, Kansas City, 2000. A good account of the life of Alexander Majors written for juvenile readers. Part of the Great Heartlanders Series.
Williams, Jean Kinney. The Pony Express. Compass Point Books, Minneapolis, MN, 2003. This is one of the We the People books that presents key events in U.S. history. It lists important dates and people, resources, and index.
Wilson, Diane Lee. Black Storm Comin’. Aladdin Paperbacks, New York, 2005. Twelve-year old Colton, son of a black mother and white father, takes a job with the Pony Express in 1860 after the father abandons the family on their California-bound wagon train, and risks his life to deliver an important letter that may affect the growing conflict between the North and South.
Wilson, Elijah Nicholas. The White Indian Boy: The Story of Uncle Nick Among the Shoshones. Paragon Press, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1991. This is the true story of “Uncle” Nick Wilson. He was a man who not only lived part of his life with the Shoshone Indians but rode for the Pony Express. Wilson, Wyoming is named after him. This book contains many photos and is illustrated with drawings by F. N. Wilson.
Wilson, Rockwell Rufus. Out of the West, The Beyond the Mississippi States in the Making. Wilson-Ericson, Inc., New York, 1936. A survey of Western expansion, the chapters titles include: The Mountain Men, Trader and Buffalo Hunter, The Way to Oregon, Guardians of the Trail, The Rush to California, Pony Express and Mail Coach, When the Comstock Made History, Pike’s Peak and Leadville, Turbulent Tombstone, Up the Trail from Texas, Frontier Peace Officers, and more.
Winch, Frank. Thrilling Lives of Buffalo Bill and Pawnee Bill. S. L. Parsons and Company, New York, 1911. This book blends the histories of Colonel William F. Cody, Last of the Great Scouts, and Major Gordon W. Lillie, White Chief of the Pawnees. Good account of their respective and combined Wild West shows.
Winslow, Frank. The Man from Somerset. Vantage Press, New York, 1993. Historical novel about George Chorpenning builder of the forerunner of the Pony Express.
Winther, Oscar Osburn. Via Western Express & Stagecoach: California’s Transportation Links with the Nation, 1848-1869. University of Nebraska Press, 1969. A good narrative account of Wells Fargo Express Company, the Butterfield Stages, and the Pony Express.
Wiseman, Stan. Cody’s Ride. G. K. Hall & Co., 1994.
Wright, Geneva Ensign. The Adventures of Amos Wright, Mormon Frontiersman. Council Press, Provo, Utah, 1981.
Wright, Richard. “Carriers of Goods and Mail”. Reprinted from Hawkers & Walkers In Early America. The J. B. Lippincott Company, 1927. A very good treatment of the evolution of the present-day postal service from its crude beginnings in the early nineteenth century, ending with the Pony Express.
Yancey, Diane. Life on the Pony Express. Lucent Books, San Diego, California, 2001. Part of The Way People Live series. Black-and-white reproductions and maps provide points of reference. Sidebars offer tidbits of interesting information about events, people. This well-organized, slim volume provides many facts for reports.