History- Week 28 - Stagecoach, Pony Express, and Telegraph

The transportation of both people and mail were quickly changing during the late 1800s. Why was this change constantly happening?

• People wanted to become inventors

• People wanted to travel faster and send and receive mail/information faster.

• People needed to go to parks

In order to send messages faster, the telegraph was created which sent the messages _________________

• by horse

• along electrical lines

• on stagecoaches

• aboard ships traveling around Cape Horn

The stagecoach, a once popular way to transport people west, was replaced by __________________________.

• the Pony Express

• US Airlines

• the transcontinental railroad

• wagon trains

Butterfield Overland Mail ran for two years and was then sold to __________________.

• Western Union

• Wells Fargo

• U.S. Bank

• United Parcel Service

When the first telegraph from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., was sent October 24, 1861, the ________________ ended almost immediately.

• Pony Express

• Butterfield Overland Mail Company

• United Parcel Service

• Western Union Stagecoach deliveries

Pony Express riders carried the letters and packages they were delivering in __________________.

• mochilas

• letterboxes

• steamer trunks

• duffle bags

Pony Express riders faced many dangers on their trip from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, including _____________________.

• attacks from hostile American Indian groups

• extreme weather conditions

• wild animals

• all of the above are true

The Overland Mail Company and the Pony Express transported mail from the East to California. What was the biggest difference in their routes?

• The Overland Mail Company’s route took them up into California while the Pony Express route ran straight across from Missouri.

• The Pony Express route went down into Mexico while the Overland Mail Company’s route ran straight across from Missouri.

• The Overland Mail Company’s route went down into the southernmost part of the United States, almost into Mexico, while the Pony Express route was nearly straight west from Missouri.

• The Pony Express route went up into Canada while the Overland Mail Company’s route went down almost into Mexico.

In order for a message to be sent by telegraph, it first had to be translated into _______________.

• morse code

• Spanish

• braille

• binary code

The telegraph was a much faster means of sending messages across the country, but it was not without problems. What were some of the issues or downsides users experienced with this technology?

• messages had to be short

• it was expensive

• if the wire broke, the message couldn't be sent at all

• all of these were issues or downsides