Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    West Like Lightning: The Brief, Legendary Ride of the Pony Express
    Unavailable
    West Like Lightning: The Brief, Legendary Ride of the Pony Express
    Unavailable
    West Like Lightning: The Brief, Legendary Ride of the Pony Express
    Ebook503 pages18 hours

    West Like Lightning: The Brief, Legendary Ride of the Pony Express

    By Jim DeFelice

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    Listen to the audiobook instead

    About this ebook

    Western Writers of America Spur Awards Finalist, Best Western Historical Nonfiction

    "A GROUNDBREAKING WORK. ... The first comprehensive history of the legendary transcontinental experiment in mail delivery in sixty years." —True West

    "This rollicking account of the daring enterprise known as the Pony Express brings its era and its legendary characters to life." —San Francisco Chronicle

    The new definitive history of the Pony Express by the #1 bestselling coauthor of American Sniper, illustrated with 50 images 

    On the eve of the Civil War, three American businessmen launched an audacious plan to create a financial empire by transforming communications across the hostile territory between the nation’s two coasts. In the process, they created one of the most enduring icons of the American West: the Pony Express. Daring young men with colorful names like “Bronco Charlie” and “Sawed-Off Jim” galloped at speed over a vast and unforgiving landscape, etching an irresistible tale that passed into myth almost instantly. Equally an improbable success and a business disaster, the Pony Express came and went in just eighteen months, but not before uniting and captivating a nation on the brink of being torn apart. Jim DeFelice’s brilliantly entertaining West Like Lightning is the first major history of the Pony Express to put its birth, life, and legacy into the full context of the American story.

    The Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company—or “Pony Express,” as it came to be known—was part of a plan by William Russell, Alexander Majors, and William Waddell to create the next American Express, a transportation and financial juggernaut that already dominated commerce back east. All that stood in their way were almost two thousand miles of uninhabited desert, ice-capped mountains, oceanic plains roamed by Indian tribes, whitewater-choked rivers, and harsh, unsettled wilderness.

    The Pony used a relay system of courageous horseback riders to ferry mail halfway across a continent in just ten days. The challenges the riders faced were enormous, yet the Pony Express succeeded, delivering thousands of letters at record speed. The service instantly became the most direct means of communication between the eastern United States and its far western territories, helping to firmly connect them to the Union.

    Populated with cast of characters including Abraham Lincoln (news of whose electoral victory the Express delivered to California), Wild Bill Hickock, Buffalo Bill Cody (who fed the legend of the Express in his Wild West Show), and Mark Twain (who celebrated the riders in Roughing It), West Like Lightning masterfully traces the development of the Pony Express and follows it from its start in St. Joseph, Missouri—the edge of the civilized world—west to Sacramento, the capital of California, then booming from the gold rush. Jim DeFelice, who traveled the Pony’s route in his research, plumbs the legends, myths, and surprising truth of the service, exploring its lasting relevance today as a symbol of American enterprise, audacity, and daring.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMay 8, 2018
    ISBN9780062496799
    Author

    Jim DeFelice

    Jim DeFelice is the co-author, with former U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, of the multi-million-copy bestseller American Sniper, the source for Clint Eastwood’s film starring Bradley Cooper. His other books include Omar Bradley: General at War; Rangers at Dieppe; and West Like Lightning: The Brief, Legendary Ride of the Pony Express. He lives in upstate New York.

    Read more from Jim De Felice

    Related to West Like Lightning

    Related ebooks

    United States History For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Marketing Lincoln

      Apr 6, 2021

      Marketing Lincoln
      5 min read

    • Article

      Christie’s Gunfight

      Jul 24, 2018

      It’s the October issue, so naturally the thoughts of Wild West editors and longtime readers alike turn to the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. For those who’ve had their fill of Wyatt Earp, his brothers, Doc Holliday and that Oct. 26, 1881, shootout in a

      2 min read

    • Article

      Pitcairn’s Prison Mail

      May 8, 2020

      Pitcairn’s Prison Mail
      5 min read

    • Article

      4 Research Routes

      Jul 7, 2021

      Get started with these resources. Native Land is a tool that uses your zip code to drill down into native territories, languages, and treaties—each a keyword to unlocking more information. Go to native-land.ca. Cultural institutions point you to know

      1 min read

    • Article

      1626 Shipwreck Confirmed

      Aug 2, 2022

      In 1626, Plymouth Colony governor William Bradford recorded details of a shipwreck off Cape Cod that had occasioned the rescue of two English merchants and several indentured Irishmen who were passengers on the vessel. The likely location of the hulk

      1 min read

    • Article

      White Bull’s Warpath

      May 23, 2023

      White Bull’s Warpath
      4 min read

    • Article

      Antietam’s Deadly Harvest

      Dec 15, 2020

      Antietam’s Deadly Harvest
      9 min read

    • Article

      Song To Woody

      Feb 22, 2022

      Song To Woody
      2 min read

    • Article

      See The Light

      Dec 4, 2019

      My Geiger counter leaps from zero to .003 in a heartbeat. “It’s OK!” our guide, Helen, assures me. “This is a very low level of radiation!”The Geiger counters are handed out to the members of my tour and activated one by one. Helen assures us of the

      6 min read

    • Article

      ‘Board Her, Boys!’

      Apr 30, 2019

      ‘Board Her, Boys!’
      11 min read

    • Article

      Asleep At The Gap

      May 7, 2019

      Asleep At The Gap
      16 min read

    • Article

      Mr. Rain Jacket

      May 20, 2019

      Mr. Rain Jacket
      10 min read

    • Article

      Home Of The Alamo

      Dec 21, 2021

      Home Of The Alamo
      12 min read

    • Article

      Redcoats Rethunk

      Feb 22, 2022

      “The scum of the earth.” Samuel Adams might have called British regulars that. Exasperatedly watching Redcoats pause to plunder a defeated enemy’s debris, the Duke of Wellington definitely did. Unlike Adams, Wellington knew better when in a calmer fr

      1 min read

    • Article

      Across Nevada on The loneliest Road

      Jul 6, 2021

      Across Nevada on The loneliest Road
      10 min read

    • Article

      Hoofprints Through History Part 2: Orphans Preferred

      Nov 20, 2018

      In my last column, I talked about the role in history of the Mongolian horse, which enabled Genghis Khan and his Mongol hordes to subjugate most of Central Asia. Several hundred years later, and several thousand miles to the west of the Mongol Empire

      9 min read

    • Article

      Hiking Into The Past

      Mar 1, 2022

      Hiking Into The Past
      10 min read

    • Article

      Explosion Of The Monster Torpedo

      Oct 6, 2020

      Thomas Morris Chester was born in 1834 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where his parents operated a restaurant that became known as a gathering place for abolitionists. (His mother was born into slavery but had escaped at age 19.) They were successful e

      12 min read

    • Article

      The Stables Of St. Joe

      Jul 23, 2019

      The Stables Of St. Joe
      3 min read

    • Article

      ‘Orphans Preferred’

      Nov 1, 2022

      ‘Orphans Preferred’
      2 min read

    • Article

      The Klondike!

      May 23, 2023

      The Klondike!
      10 min read

    • Article

      Correcting History: On C Pam Zhang’s ‘How Much of These Hills Is Gold’

      Sep 23, 2020

      We need many more novels like this one: novels that breathe life into people who have gone unseen too long. The post Correcting History: On C Pam Zhang’s ‘How Much of These Hills Is Gold’ appeared first on The Millions.

      6 min read

    • Article

      Riding The Rails In The Rockies

      Feb 4, 2021

      Riding The Rails In The Rockies
      10 min read

    • Article

      A Legacy Of Hope And Glory

      Jun 9, 2021

      DESPITE my birthplace in the Mississippi Delta and my early years in schools whose teachers tried hard to educate the children in the poorest state in the Union, I reckon I had a head start when I arrived in Suffolk as the bride of a farmer. White ch

      3 min read

    Reviews for West Like Lightning

    3.5/5

    32 ratings12 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Mr. DeFelice shows us in wonderful detail the life and death of the Central Overland California & Pikes Peak Express Company, commonly known as the Pony Express. This cross-country mail service was thought up by several prominent business men just before the start of our Civil War and lasted for a about a yearand a half. The wondeful detail of this bookshows the reader a pretty wild ride. Mr. DeFelice brings the history home by showing us a slice of the story dealing with the six-day November 1860 trip that brought news of Abraham Lincoln’s presidential victory from St. Joseph, Mo., to Sacramento, Calif., the Pony’s main route. The very rough and dangerous ride details riders encounters with feuding settlers in Kansas, buffalo stampedes, and hostile Native Americans.Mr. DeFelice I feel puts to rest stories about the Pony Express, especially the involvement of “Wild Bill” Hickok and Buffalo Bill Cody. He details through the book details about the cost of the service ,the process for getting fresh horses, even the kinds of food the riders ate. If you like history of where we as nation came from and how you’ll love this book.
    • 4/5
      I did enjoy 'West Like Lightning', but unfortunately, because of the loss of most records that involve the Pony Express, a large portion of the story itself is speculation. I don't fault the author for this, Jim DeFelice does a good job of filling in the gaps with relevant stories of the time that tie back to the Pony Express, such as, Wild Bill Hickok. There is also a good background on the founders of the Pony Express. Overall, the author provides a well written account on what is known of the Pony Express as well as providing additional peripheral details of the time.
    • 4/5
      The Pony Express was the name given to the mail service provider of the Central Overland California & Pikes Peak Express Company. It debuted in April of 1860 and only lasted for eighteen-months, but managed in that short time to become one of the most salient symbols in American history of the Wild West.The Pony Express, as the author explains, did only one thing: deliver mail and assorted telegraph messages. But it did so quickly; it took only ten days for a message to travel from Missouri to Sacramento.Importantly, the author makes the point that “Those of us who have lived through the late twentieth and early twenty-first century may think we invented the idea that information is a commodity.” On the contrary, he writes, information has always been a commodity, “one prized so highly that humans will drop old habits of gathering or sharing it quite readily if some new method promises more speed or efficiency.”Unfortunately for both the author and the reader, most of the records involving the Pony Express have been lost to history. This means a great deal of the author’s story about the Pony Express itself is speculation. But he does fill us in on how the Express operated (i.e., infrastructure, changing horses, management, and so on), what the political climate was like at the time, and fills in gaps of documented knowledge with other relevant stories.For example, he provides tales about some of the “Wild West” heroes of the time, such as Wild Bill Hickok and Kit Carson, and about the technological developments of the period, especially the Colt revolver. He includes background on the partners who started the firm that was the parent company of the Pony Express: William Russell, Alexander Majors and William B. Waddell, and fills us in on the operations of its competitors, like Wells Fargo.A number of factors contributed to the demise of the Pony Express in 1861, from [alleged] embezzlement by one of the partners to the increasing ubiquity of telegraphs and railroads, to the development of monopolies that crushed lesser businesses. But the author wants us to know that the Pony Express survived in memory because: “The values that we see in the Pony riders are values we cherish . . . adventure, speed, determination, endurance. The values of the service itself: dependability against all odds, unflagging commitment to a mission - these are values we too want to emulate…”The book ends up with a detailed Appendix, explanation of sources, notes, and a rather extensive bibliography that is excellent and includes relevant websites.Evaluation: Your reaction to this book may depend on whether you prefer your histories loose and breezy, like this one, or a bit more rigorous. Personally I am a fan of the latter, especially because with the right author, such as Hampton Sides, one can still find meticulous accounts that read like thrillers.
    • 3/5
      In 1860 the Pony Express linked the Eastern and Western United States together via a then astounding mail service that delivered in about ten days what used to take months. Deserts, blizzards, Indian and marauders, nothing stood in the Express' way in delivering the mail. Tying the book together is the election of Abraham Lincoln and the Pony Expresses various stops as the news was delivered across the country. While the Express was short lived, less than two years, it somehow captured public imagination. With some help from Buffalo Bill Cody, one if its more famous recruits The Pony Express has come to be remembered as one of the more audacious events from the American west.
    • 4/5
      The Pony Express was a doomed idea from the start but some how this hair brained scheme connected the country from St. Joseph Missouri to Sacramento California in record time. In 1860 it could take six months or longer for a letter to make it from one coast to the other. The Pony Express riders rode a long day at top speed with minimal stops in any kind of weather to deliver not only personal and business mail but also national news. Jim DeFelice has done his homework and gives us a blow by blow account of the characters that rode for the express as well as the obstacles they faced. These young daring men risked bad weather, Indian attacks, bandits, angry Mormons and other dangers and as soon as they got off a horse and got a hot meal, they were off again. This is not only the history of the Pony Express but a frank account of some of the West's most colorful characters. The author shares the myth and over the top stories of Billy the Kid, Wild Bill Hickok and Kit Carson as well as the toned down version of what most likely happened. This is a fascinating look at the Wild West before it was tame.
    • 5/5
      I always enjoy reading narrative microhistory that has a rip-roaring yarn PLUS lots of historical context for readers. Humor helps. West Like Lightning has all three. And it’s easy to tell that the author is also a fiction writer/storyteller -- the book is well sourced, but with a more journalistic feel, and without a hint of academese. However, I thought that IN SECTIONS, there were too many facts crammed in, making it a tedious slog. And what this bound galley lacked (and I hope the finished book will have) was a map. My favorite college history teacher ALWAYS included maps in her handouts and lectures, saying history and geography go together. Illustrations and/or photographs would have been much appreciated, too. I read an earlier history of “The Pony,” Orphans Preferred, and found that rather light on sourcing – West Like Lightning is definitely better. All-in-all, I enjoyed this entertaining and enlightening book -- and it was a fairly easy read. Review based on publisher-provided bound galley.
    • 4/5
      For one who knew nothing about the Pony Express save that it once existed, Jim DeFelice's chronicle, "Fast Like Lightning" will be a joyous read. DeFelice traces "the Pony"'s Missouri to California route by using the 1860 election as his base. A whole lot of miles lay between St. Joe and Sacramento. Not unlike today, in a pivotal election, with the country on the precipice of civil war, folks in 1860 wanted to know what was going on NOW, if not yesterday. Conventional mail delivery from the Mississippi to the Pacific could take literally months; the technological wonder of the time, the telegraph, didn't connect the coasts (yet). So, with Mr DeFelice's superb writing, we are off with the Pony riders, news of Lincoln's election in hand (or mail satchel, to be precise), from Missouri to California. Along the route, we learn about who came up with the idea of a Pony Express (today's American Express and Wells Fargo are descendants), how it was financed, how the company's executives parlayed with the banks and played with the politicians. We visit the Pony's stations, learn how they were established, staffed, and managed. We get to know some of the young riders -- the "face of the franchise," after all -- who they were and how they worked. Even though much of the documentary history is lost, Mr DeFelice doesn't have to resort to hyperbole: facts are supported by sources and citations; if, on the other hand, a person, place, or event is conjecture or myth (or fact joined with embellishment), he tells you. The American West was being mythologized almost simultaneously as it was being explored and exploited. And this mythology, like the music beat, goes on. The Pony Express quickly became a dashing and daring part of that national saga. Mr DeFelice has gifted readers with a delightful book that both takes us back in time and brings "the Pony" to the here and now. Highly recommended. Enjoy!
    • 4/5
      I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, and delayed starting it, fearing that it might be a bit dry. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was very well-written and was very readable and entertaining. I knew about the Pony Express, of course, but I certainly did not know the details, nor even that it lasted for such a short time. The author makes the point that it has reached an almost mythological level in American history, but it was quite short-lived and very quickly supplanted by the telegraph and railroads. The story begins with a rider anxiously awaiting the news of the election results of 1860. The author immediately pulls the reader into the tense excitement of this time, as well as the circumstances of the riders, who were admired for their courage and fortitude. The author introduces us to some of the riders, but with the caution that much of the information concerning the riders, and the Pony Express itself, is uncertain. The route from Missouri to California is traced, and the author provides a great deal of information about the stations along the way, the background of the enterprise, and the general historical context of both the nation as a whole, and of the West in particular. He divides his book into sections of stories, such as about the riders' encounters with Mormons out west, or with the Paiutes and other Indians, as well as stories of various famous figures of the West, including Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill, and Jack Slade. The author includes the description of Slade written by Mark Twain with all of his customary wit and style.I truly enjoyed this book and I'm happy to have learned more about this unique time in American history. I would recommend to anyone who has an interest in the West or American history of the 1860s.
    • 4/5
      Here's the ultimate compliment for an author. I'm in a phase where I've periodically resisted the urge to veer towards books that cover subjects I'm intensely interested in. Every once in a while, I'm inclined to read books about topics that I know little about. The Pony Express is a perfect example. When DeFelice's book showed up on the Early Reviewers roster, I figured I would give it a chance. To the author's credit, I found "West Like Lightning" immensely entertaining and educational. His humorous style, vivid writing and talent for connecting the "today" to an earlier era kept the story moving at a nice pace through at least two-thirds of the book. The vivid narrative sheds light on Old West entrepreneurs at a time when the U.S. was on the cusp of civil war. Readers meet a cast of memorable characters that range from Wild Bill Hickok and Buffalo Bill Cody, to Mark Twain, Jack Slade, Kit Carson and numerous political leaders. The book also provides fascinating insights into the Mormon migration, the California Gold Rush and life on the frontier. DeFelice is meticulous when it comes to trying to separate fact from fiction, a mission that is difficult in some instances given the absence of records. True, the detailed geographic descriptions and vignettes that on occasion feel a bit repetitive tend become a bit much by page 200. My sense is that this tale of 19th century venture capitalists could have been told even more effectively in 50 fewer pages. Still, "West Like Lightning" provides a fascinating look at a unique era. It also includes about 70 pages of documentation, including an appendix, notes, a source list and a select bibliography.
    • 1/5
      I received this book through Goodreads giveaways, and I suspect the publisher will regret that choice lol.I majored in American history, and studied western history in grad school, but never completed my master's thesis (I received a graduate certificate and unexpectedly found a full-time job right away).The blurb on the cover is "A groundbreaking work."--True West. What is True West? It's a magazine for fans of the "history of the American frontier". It's a magazine that romanticizes western history and westerners of today (as long as they fit the rancher, western artist, western author, musician, gatekeeper of Western Lore theme). Anyway, I couldn't read the blurb when I entered the giveaway. And I fail to see how this is groundbreaking. DeFelice may have combined the works of others into one book, but honestly this feels like a high school history paper. It doesn't even have a map! If any book needed a map, it's this one.The book starts off in a promising fashion--Lincoln has just been elected, and we are going to follow the riders as they take that news West to Utah and California. Only then the book spins out of control. The chapters are all over the place. The book actually follows no timeline--the creation of the Pony is in the middle, Buffalo Bill is nearer the beginning when his chapter should be at the end (where he currently has a page or 2), discussing in full how his show was so important to the romanticization of the Pony Express. Yes, there are chapters following the riders, with a lot of mention of "we don't know where this station was, or if this was a station." There is also a chapter on Buffalo Bill (who was not involved in the Pony Express until he put it in his show many years later). There is a chapter about the LDS church and how/why they ended up in Utah. There is a lot of Civil War background. There is the Donner Party. There is the Comstock Lode. DeFelice's original research seems to have been his trip driving the route and visiting museums. He relies very heavily on Richard Burton, a British traveler who recorded his experiences in depth. He is liberally quoted. DeFelice "liberally paraphrases" two chapters of an 1879 book on Buffalo Bill. In the acknowledgments, he says "previous stories and studies of the Pony were a foundation I've tried to build on." He has taken some primary sources, a lot of secondary sources that also use those primary sources, some newspapers and censuses, and a road trip to put this book together. He does not seem to have done any new work to attempt to locate stations (or to determine if some stations really were stations at all), he mentions looking at Congressional records to try to determine the exact nature of the house of cards (house of bonds, really) to keep the Pony afloat. He writes rumor as fact and then backs off in the notes (how many people read the notes? see page 129 and note 8). He also has a number of statements like "...and probably questions about whether they would be paid or not" (250)--regarding the service continuing even as the offices were in financial turmoil. Probably? Is there any evidence one way or the other? Had they ever not paid? Did the riders even know of the turmoil? He makes statements like this and provides no citations, no mention of research attempted, nothing.I also struggle to take seriously a history book that characterizes real people in the past as "a rough SOB", "a world class hard-ass", "badass", "government being government", and "verifiably awesome". And the errors. So many errors! p 12 implant instead of transplant; p 19 William Russell is a native of Missouri p 20 he was born in Vermont; p 31 describes a log cabin quilt as "patchwork...in various shapes"--no, just squares and rectangles, this is a very common pattern to this day; 121 midfall instead of mid-fall; and honestly I stopped keeping track. My copy is not an ARC.Overall, just painfully disappointing. This is not a self-published book, it's from Wm Morrow!
    • 4/5
      West Like Lightning is a fun, very entertaining look at the brief history of the Pony Express. While the Pony Express only ran for 18 months, it has lived on in myth and legend ever since it's first days. Jim DeFelice does a good job of presenting the story of the Pony Express, using the delivery of the news of Abraham Lincoln's election along the route of the Pony as the framework to talk about the people that built and operated the Pony Express, from the business men who thought up the idea, to the riders and station masters who staffed the route. I found using this method of presenting the history of the Pony Express to be quite interesting as most histories are presented in a chronological order. What DeFelice does is use a geographic order (east to west along the route) and mixes up the chronology as he goes, jumping forward and backward in time to suite the narrative. It took a little bit to get used to, but was an effective tool for talking about the Pony.In a few places I found that DeFelice went on a few longer tangents, straying from the main narrative about the Pony to talk about some of the more famous people associated with the Pony Express, or who provided contemporary (relatively) commentary about the men who rode the express. From Samuel Clemens, to Buffalo Bill Cody, and "Wild Bill" Hickok, DeFelice adds longish biographies that liven up the story, but seemed to ramble and stray at times from the focus of the narrative on the Pony Express. (That doesn't mean that I didn't find this information interesting or informative, I just wondered at times when we'd get back to talking about the Pony Express.)I did learn a lot about the Pony Express, and the period in 1860 and '61 when it was in operation. Learning that towns like St. Joseph, Missouri courted and provided incentives to the owners of the Pony Express to anchor the eastern terminus of the route - in the same way that cities today court large companies to build their factories or headquarters - was very interesting. Or how the Pony Express was never intended to ever be a money maker, or to last beyond the time it took to build the telegraph lines. That it had a planned obsolescence was quite interesting. Overall I recommend West Like Lightning. If you have any interest in American history, an interest in the Old West, or a look into how people dealt with the harsh conditions of moving across and settling the western part of the country, then you will enjoy Jim's look into the Pony Express.I listened to the audiobook version of this book, narrated by John Pruden. There were no problems with the audio production and Mr. Pruden does a great job of bringing the history and people of the Pony Express to life.
    • 4/5
      Right away, one of the most amazing facts about the legendary Pony Express is that it lasted a mere 18 or so months. And another of the most amazing facts is that it was intended to exist only a short time.The Pony Express ran mail from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California. But it was only a demonstration for the men who started it. They really wanted a normal mail contract from the U.S. government, and the Pony, as it was called, was a way to show that they could deliver the mail.The cliché of only single young riders was just that, something added after the Pony was over, as was most of the legend. For example, the one man who did more than anyone to burn the Pony Express into the consciousness of the nation, Buffalo Bill Cody, likely never rode it. But his Wild West show helped turn it into a Western legend.The author uses the device of the 1860 presidential election to tell his story with aplomb and humor. He recounts the stories, legends and tall tales as we follow the news that Lincoln had won all the way from the East to the West just a few days later, which was a revelation.Just months after opening, the telegraphs came along – and there was a telegraph station that the Pony delivered to, in fact. As the Pony wrapped up, the telegraph took over, and the men who started the Pony had their hand in the transcontinental railroad, too.This is a fun, fast-moving story and a must if you’re interested in the stories of the Wild West.Recommended.This book was won from Library Thing.For more of my reviews, go to Ralphsbooks.