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Oct 18 | The Pony Express
The Pony Expressed captured the hearts and imagination of people all over the world both then and now. It improved communication between east and west sides of a growing United States and maintained open communication with California at the beginning of the Civil War.
Follow up:
A California newspaper advertised for riders and listed the following qualifications: “Wanted. Young, skinny, wiry fellows. Not over 18. Must be expert riders. Willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred.” The average weight of a rider was 120 pounds and average age of a rider was 20 years old with the youngest being 11 and the oldest was in his mid-40s. As compensation for the dangers they encountered along their routes, they were paid $100 per month.
Mail cost $5.00 per 1/2 ounce when the Pony Express first started, but by the end, the price dropped to $1.00 per 1/2 ounce of mail. New riders took over every 75-100 miles with fresh horses provided every 10-15 miles. There were approximately 165 distributed over 2,000 miles. The horses ran an average of 10 miles per hour.
The transcontinental telegraph system was completed on October 24, 1861 and the Pony Express closed on October 26, 1861.
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Meet Kim Ashby | Owner
Kim Ashby earned a BS in Nursing from The Catholic University of America and, when she worked outside the home, was a Certified Emergency Nurse with a special interest in trauma nursing. She lives in Raleigh, NC with her husband and three sons. The Ashbys have home schooled their children since 1999. They graduated their oldest son in May 2007. He is attending UNC Wilmington. Kim continues to home school her younger boys. Her oldest son was diagnosed with ADHD when he was in the public school system in the second grade. Her second son has cerebral palsy which has resulted in multiple/global developmental delays. Her youngest son has undiagnosed, mild auditory processing issues.
Kim has co-instructed graduate level courses at UNC Chapel Hill for ST/OT students and Early Intervention students. She is the founder and President of the Board of Directors of GIFTSNC, Inc., a home schooling special needs support group. Kim has presented workshops at a variety of state home school conferences as well as local support group parent meetings and is often a guest speaker at homeschool conferences and is found on many guest speaker lists including Balancing the Sword. She is a Steering Committee member and former Treasurer for Dayspring Home Educators in Cary, NC. She served on the Board of Directors for the Family Support Network of Wake County. She holds a North Carolina Wildlife Permit for Small Mammal Rehabilitation and enjoys working with orphaned and injured wildlife.
"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." Mark Twain