BGuthrie Photos: DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (MIA Galleries 2): Binding the Nation (incl Pony Express)

DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (MIA Galleries 2): Binding the Nation (incl Pony Express):

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. SIPMBI_150525_001.JPG: Starting the System: "I dispatched my first post rider in January, now three months past. He has not yet returned. Look sharp for his trail as you travel this lonely route." On a wintry January morning, Francis Lovelace dispatched the first post rider along this trail. Watch for the axe marks the rider made on trees to mark his path to Boston and guide him home to New York.
2. SIPMBI_150525_004.JPG: "A post shall go monthly between New York and Boston." -- Francis Lovelace (1618-1678), colonial governor of New York and New Jersey, 1673
3. SIPMBI_150525_010.JPG: It's 1673 and you need to send a letter. But wait -- paper is still imported and very expensive. And postage stamps and envelopes will not appear for about 170 more years. There's no mailbox, and there's not even a road connecting New York and Boston. Early in 1673, Francis Lovelace, the British governor of New York and New Jersey, attempted to set up regular postal service between New York and Boston. Following Indian trails, his postal riders notched trees along the 268-mile journey. Their path, known first as the "King's Best Highway," became the Boston Post Road and is now US Route 1.
4. SIPMBI_150525_019.JPG: In January, 1673, the first post rider used Native American trails between New York and Boston. Follow his path.
5. SIPMBI_150525_026.JPG: One of the rider's tasks was to notch trees along the way with a hand axe so others could follow his trail. Can you find those marks?
6. SIPMBI_150525_028.JPG: The rider's 268-mile journey between Boston and New York became known as "the King's Best Highway." We know it today as US 1.
7. SIPMBI_150525_041.JPG: In Colonial America, mail was often brought to local taverns and inns which doubled as post offices. Local residents would gather to socialize and collect their mail -- if there was any!
8. SIPMBI_150525_050.JPG: From Crown to Revolution: Benjamin Franklin was named postmaster of Philadelphia by the British Crown in 1737. The colonial post still carried mostly official and commercial correspondence, and most communications were transatlantic. Few residents of one colony needed to contact residents of another. But over the next three decades, a sense of common destiny began to unite the colonies in opposition to British rule. In 1753, Franklin was the Crown's joint postmaster general for the colonies. After a 1,600-mile inspection of post offices, he organized a weekly mail wagon between Philadelphia and Boston. Using lanterns to light their way, post riders traveled day and night in relays. This cut mail delivery time between the cities in half and made the colonial post efficient for colonists and profitable for the Crown.
9. SIPMBI_150525_062.JPG: Revolution by Mail: Following the British victory in the French and Indian War in America (1757-1763), relations between the American colonists and their mother country rapidly deteriorated. The war depleted the British treasury, forcing Parliament to pass a series of Acts designed to increase revenues from the colonies. America's colonial leaders viewed these new taxes on tea, molasses, stamps, and other commodities as a concerted effort to strip away their civil rights and liberties. The individual colonies regarded their resistance to England's tyranny as a common cause and developed new strategies and institutions in opposition to the English threat. Secure communications between the patriot leaders was critical to the success of the revolution and control of the colonial mail was fiercely contested. British authorities employed only loyal postmasters who opened and read the mail forcing colonial leaders to boycott the post. Many advocated creating an independent American postal system to protect the American cause and to decrease their dependence upon the Crown's post.
10. SIPMBI_150525_074.JPG: "The mail and the press... are the nerves of the body politic. By them the slightest impression made on the most remote parts is communicated to the whole system." -- John C. Calhoun, 1817 Printers vied for the postmaster's job, knowing they would get news first and could mail their newspapers for free and refuse competing papers. As deputy postmaster general, Benjamin Franklin insisted on cheap, impartial delivery of all newspapers. The 1792 Post Office Act let newspaper editors exchange their papers by mail without charge so that each could print the other's news. By 1825, newspaper circulated in-state or within 100 miles of publication for 1 cent, and for 1-1/2 cents beyond that range. Newspapers and magazines still enjoy special rates, based on the revolutionary conviction that knowledge is power, not to be taxed.
11. SIPMBI_150525_080.JPG: The Post and the Press; The first colonial newspapers -- single sheets of paper printed on only one side -- were nailed up, or posted, in public places. They carried official decrees, court decisions, ship arrivals, a few advertisements, reprints of sermons, letters from travelers, and news of floods, storms, or piracy. Called broadsides, these papers were often printed and sold by postmasters, who usually were the first to get the news. As the colonies grew, broadsides appeared more often, first as weekly, then daily, newspapers. Printers often titled their papers The Post, the Packet, or The Courier, according to their means of delivery.
12. SIPMBI_150525_087.JPG: Case In Point: Freedom of Speech in the Mail: At the beginning of the new America, nearly all the news came by mail. When the Constitution was signed, it was rushed by post riders to every town that had a printing press. And that's how the newspapers were able to bring the resounding news of how we were to govern ourselves. The newspapers knew of it first by mail. In England, for centuries, the mail was frequently scrutinized by agents of the Crown or of the Parliament. It could be worth your life to write a letter that might be seen as having the seeds of treason. This did not happen here. From the beginning, by and large, the US mails have been free of eyes other than our own and those of the sender. To the framers of the Constitution, the mail made the engine of democracy run -- along with the newspapers. And newspapers then printed a good deal of correspondence. Rufus Putnam, a key military figure in the Revolutionary War, said, "The knowledge diffused among the people by newspapers, by correspondence between friends" was crucial to the future of the nation. "Nothing can be more fatal to a republican government than ignorance among its citizens." As a journalist, I have sometimes been asked where my leads for stories come from. Much of the time, they come from opening the mail. Readers from all over the country send personal stories, newspaper clippings, local court decisions, and student newspaper editorials arguing for the First Amendment rights of students. There is no other way I would have known about these stories except through the mail. It is through letters than I often receive highly confidential stories about unfairness in the justice system from people who would not trust any other form of communication. The framers of the Constitution knew how vital the mail would be when Article I was written to protect the privacy of communication through the mail. Nat Hentoff is a columnist for the Washington Post and the Village Voice, and the author of "Free Speech for Me, But Not for Thee: How the Left and Right Continually Censor Each Other."
13. SIPMBI_150525_095.JPG: The Expanding Nation: In the early 1800s, the United States seemed a land of boundless promise and possibility. Between 1803 and 1853, it more than doubled in area, and many Americans believed that the nation had a "manifest destiny" to rule from sea to sea. Settlers poured into these new territories from the states and from Europe and Asia, driving American Indians from ancestral homes in the land rush. But territory alone was of little value unless the lands could be developed, especially the vast region from the Mississippi to the West Coast. Stagecoach companies holding mail contracts helped to secure those areas, turning rough trails into well-traveled roads. And the somewhat regular arrival of the mail coach connected settlers to faraway families, friends, and businesses back home.
14. SIPMBI_150525_101.JPG: The Homestead Act of 1862, passed during the Civil War, guaranteed 160 acres of land to anyone who agreed to improve the land and live on it for five years. As Congress anticipated, thousands headed west along the overland trails after the war to claim land. Railroad companies pushed into the frontier after the Civil War, bringing more settlers. The railroads also dispatched land agents to Europe. Immigrants could purchase both their transportation and land from the railroad companies, land that often had been given by federal and state governments to the railroads to encourage growth.
15. SIPMBI_150525_126.JPG: The Pony Express: The legendary name of the Pony Express calls up thrilling images of horse and rider racing across treacherous terrain. Yet the actual Pony Express lasted for less than two years (April 1860 to October 1861) and was only one of a number of private express services that used riders to carry the mail. It owes it fame to the romanticizing of the Pony Express and the American West that began late in the 19th century, in Wild West shows and dime novels, and continues to the present. Pony Express riders live on today, still dodging varmints and villains in books and movies, evoking speed and the thrills on countless commercial products.
16. SIPMBI_150525_131.JPG: Pony Express route
17. SIPMBI_150525_142.JPG: Length of entire route: 1,966 miles Stations along route: about 165
18. SIPMBI_150525_145.JPG: Distance between stations: approximately 10 miles Each rider rode one segment of the route, 75-100 miles long
19. SIPMBI_150525_146.JPG: At each station, a rider changed horses Every 75-100 miles, a new rider took over
20. SIPMBI_150525_149.JPG: A rider changed horses 8-10 times per ride (every 10 miles or so) Average speed: 10 miles per hour
21. SIPMBI_150525_152.JPG: How long did it take to get from Missouri to California? 10 days in summer, 12-16 days in winter (mountain snows can slow you down). In 1860, that was speedy! A stagecoach took 24 days
22. SIPMBI_150525_156.JPG: Whose idea was it? Three business partners -- William Russell, Alexander Majors, and William Waddell -- founded the Pony Express as a private company
23. SIPMBI_150525_160.JPG: The Founders: The Pony Express was founded by William Russell, Alexander Majors, and William Waddell, partners in freight-shipping business. To start the Pony Express, Majors had to buy more than 400 ponies, build or purchase more than 150 stations, and hire stationmasters and riders -- all in less than three months. It was a bold business venture, but one that rapidly ate up the partners' investment. William Russell: Idea man and chief promoter. Alexander Majors: Oversaw day-to-day operations. William Waddell: Ran the home office and managed the money.
24. SIPMBI_150525_163.JPG: The Station House: Pony Express stations were placed approximately ten miles apart. Riders were assigned 75-mile-long portions of the trail and kept a speedy pace by switching horses at each station. New riders took over every 75-100 miles. While some of the station houses were sturdy structures, most offered only slight protection against the elements. According to the explorer and author Sir Richard Burton, the station house at Sand Springs, Utah, was "roofless and chairless, filthy and squalid, with a smoky fire in one corner, and a table in the center of an impure floor, the walls open to every wind, and the interior full of dust."
25. SIPMBI_150525_165.JPG: The Mochila: Pony Express riders carried the mail in four pockets of a saddlebag called a mochila, which fit snugly over the saddle. When a rider switched horses, he grabbed the mochila and swung it onto the saddle of the new horse. The letters were wrapped in oiled silk to protect them from moisture. One of the pockets could be unlocked only by stationmasters. This pocket also held a time card on which the station master recorded the time the rider arrived.
26. SIPMBI_150525_170.JPG: Romance Versus Reality: Romance: From the dime novels of the late 19th century to movies and television today, the Pony Express has supplied drama, excitement, and a good deal of make-believe. Reality: The riders' constant struggles along the route did not need to be exaggerated. They rode through ghastly weather and over rough territory in a constant race against time.
27. SIPMBI_150525_173.JPG: The Riders: The name of the first rider galloping out of St. Joseph, Missouri, on April 3, 1860, has been lost to history. Fewer than 100 men rode for the Pony Express in its 18 months of existence. Later, many men claimed to have been Pony Express riders, with tall tales of reckless adventure growing taller with each telling. Among those mentioned as famous riders was Buffalo Bill (William Cody), whose Wild West shows toured the US and Europe for 30 years. Cody was such an accomplished showman and genius at self-promotion that even today it is difficult to separate the reality of his life from the romance he created in his shows. His claims of a life as a Pony Express rider made for great theater, but little accuracy.
28. SIPMBI_150525_178.JPG: Wells Fargo and the Pony Express: The Pony Express was a rousing success in speeding mail across the country, cutting delivery time in half, but it was unbearably expensive to operate. Unable to win a government mail contract, Russell, Majors, and Waddell lost $30 on every letter carried and were forced to sell the Pony Express. In 1861, the Wells Fargo freighting company took over the route through its Overland Mail Company and, in what must have seemed a final blow to Russell and his partners, won a government mail contract on the condition they continue the operation of a semi-weekly pony express service.
29. SIPMBI_150525_180.JPG: Fastest with the News: William Russell used the 1860 presidential election as a showcase for what the Pony Express could do. Before the election, he hired extra men and ensured that fresh relay horses were available along the entire route. On November 7, 1860, a rider dashed out of Fort Kearny, Nebraska Territory (the eastern end of the telegraph line) with the election results. Riders sped along the route, over snow-covered trails and into Fort Churchill, Nevada Territory (the western end of the telegraph line). California's newspapers received word of Lincoln's election only seven days and 17 hours after the East Coast papers, an unrivaled feat at the time.
30. SIPMBI_150525_183.JPG: The End of the Pony Express: The Pony Express was created to bridge the gap between the eastern and western ends of the transcontinental telegraph lines. While the line between Missouri and California was under construction, riders carried letters across the entire route. They also carried telegraphed messages across the gap between telegraph lines. When the telegraph line was completed, there was no further need for the Pony Express. The first telegraph message from San Francisco to Washington DC was transmitted October 24, 1861. Two days later, the Pony Express came to an end.
31. SIPMBI_150525_188.JPG: "A black speck appears against the sky, and it is plain that it moves... Another instant... and man and horse burst past our excited faces and go winging away like the belated fragment of a storm." -- Mark Twain, Roughing It, 1872
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Description of Subject Matter: Binding the Nation
July 30, 1993 – Permanent
Level 1: Mail in America Galleries
This gallery provides an overview of mail service in America from colonial times through the 19th century, stressing the importance of written communication in the young nation. As early as 1673, regular mail was carried between New York and Boston following Indian trails. That route, once known as the King's Best Highway, is now U.S. Route 1.
Benjamin Franklin, a colonial postmaster for the British government, played a key role in establishing mail service in the colonies, as well as in forging a strong link between colonial publishers and the postal service. Many newspapers that relied heavily on information carried in the mail customarily adopted the word "Post" into their title. Newspapers were so important to the dissemination of information to the people that they were granted cheaper postage rates.
By 1800, mail was carried over more than 9,000 miles of postal roads. The challenge of developing mail service over long distances is the central theme of "The Expanding Nation," which features the famed Pony Express and the Southern Postal Administration of the Civil War. At one interactive video station, visitors can create their own postal route. Another interactive video challenges visitors to move mail bags from Philadelphia to New Orleans in the 1850s without losing any bags in wrecks and bad weather.
Visitors are also invited to walk through a replica of the first post road, peek inside a Colonial mailbag, and climb into a mud wagon replica.

Included within the Binding the Nation gallery is this one:

Pony Express: Romance vs. Reality
April 3, 2010 – Permanent
The legendary name of the Pony Express calls up thrilling images of horse and rider racing across treacherous terrain. Yet the actual Pony Express lasted for less than two years (April 1860 to October 1861). It owes its enduring fame to the romanticizing of the American West that began in the late 19th century. ...More...
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Directly Related Pages: Other pages with content (DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (MIA Galleries 2): Binding the Nation (incl Pony Express)) directly related to this one: [Display ALL photos on one page]:
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- 2013_DC_SIPM_Stamp_Salon: DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (Gross Gallery 5): National Stamp Salon (18 photos from 2013)
- 2014_DC_SIPM_Stamp_Salon: DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (Gross Gallery 5): National Stamp Salon (1 photo from 2014)
- 2013_DC_SIPM_Stamps_World: DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (Gross Gallery 1): World of Stamps (27 photos from 2013)
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- 2014_DC_SIPM_Stamps_Globe: DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (Gross Gallery 6): Stamps Around the Globe (34 photos from 2014)
- 2015_DC_SIPM_Stamps_Globe: DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (Gross Gallery 6): Stamps Around the Globe (135 photos from 2015)
- 2013_DC_SIPM_Stamps_Globe: DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (Gross Gallery 6): Stamps Around the Globe (23 photos from 2013)
- 2021_DC_SIPM_Stamps_Connect: DC -- Natl Postal Museum -- Exhibit (Gross Gallery 4): Connect with U.S. Stamps (1 photo from 2021)
- ...More (List all 62 pages)...
Same Subject: Click on this link to see coverage of items having the same subject: [(Smithsonian) Postal Museum] [Display ALL (Smithsonian) Postal Museum photos] [Museums (History)] [Museums (Other)]
2015 photos: Equipment this year: I mostly used my Fuji XS-1 camera but, depending on the event, I also used a Nikon D7000. I retired from the US Census Bureau in god-forsaken Suitland, Maryland on my 58th birthday in May. Yee ha! Trips this year: a quick trip to Florida. two Civil War Trust conferences (Raleigh, NC and Richmond, VA), and my 10th consecutive San Diego Comic-Con trip (including Los Angeles). Ego Strokes: Carolyn Cerbin used a Kevin Costner photo in her USA Today article. Miss DC pictures were used a few times in the Washington Post. Number of photos taken this year: just over 550,000.
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