1. The first rider left St. Joseph, MO on April 3, 1860.
2. The last riders operated through October 1861 for a total of 18 months operation.
3. Relay stations were built 10-15 miles apart and stocked horses so the riders could change mounts.
4. The riders were allowed 2 minutes to go to the restroom and move the mochila to another mount.
5. "Home" stations were 75-100 miles apart and the riders changed at these places.
6. Most riders averaged about 10 miles an hour.
7. The entire Pony Express trail was divided into five divisions with a superintendent for each division.
8. The completion of the transcontinental telegraph line on October 24, 1861 ended the Pony Express.
Campgrounds we stayed in along the way:
1. St. Joe, Mo - Beacon RV Park
2. Salix, IA - Snyder Lake
3. Summit, SD - County Line RV Park
4. International Peace Gardens, ND Campground
5. Glasgow, MT - Cottonwood RV Park
6. Havre, MT - Great Northern Fair and Campground
7. Hungry Horse, MT - Canyon RV Park
8. Condon, MT - Holland Lake Campground (FS)
9. Great Falls, MT - Great Falls KOA
10. Helena, MT - Lincoln Road RV Park
11. Cameron, MT - Palisades Campground (BLM)
12. Cody, WY - Absaroka Bay RV Park
Whatever happened to Lewis and Clark?
President Jefferson was so pleased with Meriwether Lewis' work that he appointed him the Governor of the newly acquired Louisiana Territory. Lewis spent 3 years embroiled in the politics of governing such a large territory. On October 11, 1809, while traveling to Washington to settle a dispute over federal appropriations, he died of gunshot wounds along the Natchez Trace, having never published his journals. Jefferson and Clark believed Lewis committed suicide and most scholars today agree. They point to Lewis' mood swings, frequent deep depression, and his serious financial difficulties. Other scholars believe he was murdered. They cite unexplainable discrepancies in the accounts given by people at the inn where Lewis died. He was only 35 at the time of his death.
In 1807, President Jefferson appointed William Clark as Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Louisiana Territory. He served with distinction for 18 years. After Lewis' untimely death, Clark helped prepare a paraphrased edition of Lewis' journals. From 1813-1820, he served as Governor of the Missouri Territory. He passed away at the home of his son, Meriwether Lewis Clark, in St. Louis, in 1838 at the age of 68.