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QUESTION:

It's 1858. The Pony Express is looking for riders, but you'll need to find your own way along the trail. What state maps will you need to bring along?

I was wondering if this has anything to do with The Oregon Trail and The California Trail?

-- W. R.

ANSWER:

Warren map of the U.S.Although based on a false premise, I believe that the answer to the question is "two."

The Pony Express ran through what later became Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and California. Of those, only Missouri and California had achieved statehood prior to 1859.

You would need a map covering a lot of real estate in between, but you'd only need two STATE maps: Missouri and California.

The false premise I mentioned relates to the date. In 1858, you wouldn't have worked for the Pony express, but rather George Chorpenning's little-known "Jackass Express" which, in the fall of 1858, carried President Buchanan's second message to Congress from Missouri to California in a little over 17 days.

Regular service by the Pony Express wasn't established until two years later.



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