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Week 4 Reading

The Pony Express was a mail service that operated from 1860 to 1861, during which time it was the fastest way to send mail between California and Missouri. It worked by having riders switch horses at stations spaced approximately every 10 miles, allowing them to travel long distances quickly. The Pony Express was able to deliver mail across 2000 miles in just 10 days. However, it was rendered obsolete in 1861 with the completion of the first transcontinental telegraph line, which allowed instant communication across the country.

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Carolina Cardozo Ovalle
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456 views

Week 4 Reading

The Pony Express was a mail service that operated from 1860 to 1861, during which time it was the fastest way to send mail between California and Missouri. It worked by having riders switch horses at stations spaced approximately every 10 miles, allowing them to travel long distances quickly. The Pony Express was able to deliver mail across 2000 miles in just 10 days. However, it was rendered obsolete in 1861 with the completion of the first transcontinental telegraph line, which allowed instant communication across the country.

Uploaded by

Carolina Cardozo Ovalle
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Nonfiction Reading:

The Pony Express


Directions: Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow. Refer to the text to check your answers
when appropriate.
had a good system.
The Pony Express had 184 stations along the trail. The
In this age of texts and tweets, it is easy to send stations were around ten miles apart. This is about how
messages. You just press a few buttons, and boom! Your far a horse could run at a gallop before tiring. The rider
message is sent. The person to whom you sent it will get would switch to a new horse at each station. He would
it in just a few seconds. Distance is no longer an issue. only take his mail pouch with him. Every 75-100 miles,
But things weren't always so easy. the rider would get to a home station. At each home
station, riders would rest. Before resting, he would give
In 1848 gold was found in California. Thousands of his mail pouch to a new rider. The mail never stopped
people rushed there to get some. Many people liked moving, even while the horses and riders rested.
living there and decided to stay. But there wasn't a
whole lot between California and Missouri, where the It was tough to ride for the Pony Express. Each rider had
nearest trains ran. The train line to California wasn't to weigh less than 125 pounds. Speed was the key. Most
finished until 1869. It took a long time to ride a horse to of the riders were teenage boys. They rode at a fast pace
Missouri. for up to 100 miles a day. If there were an emergency,
one might have to ride 200 miles in a day. The ride could
Imagine that it is the year 1860. You have moved to be rough and dangerous. Attacks by Native Americans
California to open a shop. Most of your family stayed were common. But in its time running, the Pony Express
back East. Your shop is doing well and now you want only lost one mail pouch.
your family to join you. How do you get news to them?
There's no phone, no train, and you can't leave your The Pony Express filled an important role for a time, but
shop for too long. What do you do? Well, you could use it did not last. The Civil War started in April of 1861. This
the Pony Express. was bad news for the owners. The worst for them was
yet to come. On October 24th, 1861, the first telegraph
In 1860 and 1861, the Pony Express was the fastest way line to California was finished. This linked them to the
to get news to and from the West. The trail that they rest of the country. People could send messages in an
rode was around 2000 miles long. It took most people instant. Two days later the Pony Express closed. But the
weeks or months to ride that far. The Pony Express could lore of the brave riders lives on even today.
make the trip in just ten days. Those speeds were
unheard of at the time. So how did they do it? Well, they
1. Which happened first?
a. Settlers rushed to California to find gold.
b. The Pony Express was started.
c. The train line to California was finished.
d. The first telegraph line to California was finished.

2. Which best explains why Pony Express riders had to weigh less than 125 pounds?
a. Heavier men were more expensive.
b. Horses were scared of heavier men.
c. Heavier men scared customers.
d. Horses could move quicker with lighter men.

3. How fast could the Pony Express take a letter from California to Missouri?
a. 24 hours
b. ten days
c. twenty days
d. one month

4. Why were the Pony Express stations about ten miles apart?
a. This was about as far as a man could walk in a single day.
b. This was as far as a man could ride on a horse in a day.
c. This was so the riders wouldn't get so lonely at night.
d. This was as far as a horse could run without getting tired.

5. Which was probably not a requirement to be a rider for the Pony Express?
a. You had to be light.
b. You had to be an expert horse rider.
c. You had to be able to read and write.
d. You had to be brave in the face of danger.

6. Which best describes the main idea of the fifth paragraph?


a. It is about how many Pony Express stations there were.
b. It is about how the Pony Express carried mail so quickly.
c. It is about how the Pony Express riders slept in the stations.
d. It is about how far the Pony Express riders would go in a day.

7. Which of these ended the Pony Express?


a. The telegraph
b. The Civil War
c. Wars with Native Americans
d. The train line

8. About how far did Pony Express riders travel on a usual day?
a. 10 miles
b. 200 miles
c. 100 miles
d. 2000 miles

9. How many mail pouches did the Pony Express lose?


a. The Pony Express never lost a mail pouch.
b. One
c. Two
d. Too many to keep track
10. Which title best describes the author's purpose in writing this?
a. Out of Touch: Why Phones are Faster Than Horses
b. The Pony Express: Stories of Their Bravery in Battle
c. Back in Touch: Why We Should Use Horses to Deliver the Mail
d. The Pony Express: About the 1860's Fastest Mail Service

1. How was the Pony Express able to move letters across the country so quickly? Refer to the text in your answer.
Because the Pony Express had 184 stations along the trail. The stations were around ten miles apart. This is about
how far a horse could run at a gallop before tiring. The rider would switch to a new horse at each station. He would
only take his mail pouch with him. Every 75-100 miles, the rider would get to a home station. At each home station,
riders would rest. Before resting, he would give his mail pouch to a new rider. The mail never stopped moving, even
while the horses and riders rested.
2. How did the California Gold Rush help to create a need for the Pony Express? Use the text to support your response.

Because they needed to communicate with other people or family easily and quickly.

3. Why was the Pony Express no longer needed? Refer to the text in your answer.

Because the first telegraph line to California was finished. This linked them to the rest of the country. People could
send messages in an instant. Two days later the Pony Express closed.

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