pony express

noun

1. a former system in the American West of carrying mail and express by relays of riders mounted on ponies, especially the system operating (1860–61) between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California.

pony express

noun

1. (in the American West) a system of mail transport that employed relays of riders and mounts, esp that operating from Missouri to California in 1860–61

Pony Express

1. A system of mail service by relays of riders on horses, established in 1860 between Missouri and California , through the Rocky Mountains . It operated for only a year and a half, until a telegraph line eliminated the need for it.

Notes

Buffalo Bill (see also BuffaloBill ) Cody and Wild Bill Hickok were Pony Express riders in their youth.

An early advertisement for Pony Express riders is well known: “Wanted: Young, skinny, wiry fellows not over eighteen. Must be expert riders, willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of pony express¹

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50

Example Sentences

Revel in Wild West lore at the Pony Express National Museum and Jesse James Home Museum in St Joseph, just outside KC.

From The Daily Beast

The Pony Express stopped galloping in the mid-1800s, and the train system was booming.

From The Daily Beast

At the second election of President Lincoln the news was brought across the continent by pony express.

From Project Gutenberg

This is one of the longest and best ridden pony express journeys ever made.

From Project Gutenberg

The Pony Express, therefore, was not only an important, but a daring and romantic enterprise.

From Project Gutenberg

It was during the sixties that the telegraph was established across the continent, following in the track of the Pony Express.

From Project Gutenberg

When the first call came for volunteers by way of the pony express, Benito and Adrian talked of enlisting.

From Project Gutenberg