Drawing Conclusions - Reading Skills Test

The Pony Express marked one of the most exciting times in the history of the West Three men formed the business in 1860. They wanted to show the government that they could deliver mail between Missouri and California. They hoped that the government would eventually hire them and their new business would make a lot of money.

The men planned for a relay of riders to carry the mail between the states. They set up stations every five to twenty miles where the rider could change horses. The stations formed a 2,000-mile trail. Next, the owners hired riders to carry the mail. To do this, they posted the following ad:

"Wanted. Young skinny, wiry fellows. Not over 18. Must be expert riders. Willing to risk death daily"

Riders who signed on with the Pony Express had a very tough job. They galloped at full speed from station to station. At each station, they leapt from one horse, mounted another, and raced ahead. When a rider had traveled about seventy-five to one hundred miles, he handed the mail off to a new rider, who continued the journey.

The difficult trip took about ten days in the summer and twelve to sixteen days in the winter. The shortest trip was the delivery of a copy of the speech that Abraham Lincoln gave when he became President. It took only seven days and seventeen hours.

When the Pony Express began, customers paid five dollars to have a letter delivered. Later, however, the price dropped to one dollar. The Pony Express ended in 1861 when the telegraph, which allowed people to send messages by telegram, was invented. Even though the Pony Express did not last very long, its brave, young riders will always be remembered.

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