Studies Weekly 28: The Stagecoach, Pony Express, and Telegraph

Use this week’s issue of Studies Weekly to help you answer this question. Include the page number and the title of the article that helped you find the answer in your response. The transportation of both people and mail were quickly changing during the late 1800s. Why was this change constantly happening?

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 __________.

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

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

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

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 users experienced with this technology?