Name	Gothenburg
Native name	''Göteborg''
Image dot map	Blank map of Europe cropped.svg
Dot x	128
Dot y	116
Dot map caption	Location of Gothenburg in Europe
Dot mapsize	280px
Image shield	Göteborg vapen.svg
Coordinates region	SE
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision name	Sweden
Subdivision type3	Municipality
Subdivision name3	Gothenburg Municipality,Härryda Municipality,Partille Municipality andMölndal Municipality
Subdivision type2	County
Subdivision name2	Västra Götaland County
Subdivision type1	Province
Subdivision name1	Västergötland and Bohuslän
Established title3	Charter
Established date3	1621
Area footnotes
Area total km2	450
Area water km2	14.5
Area water percent	3.2
Area urban km2	203.67
Area metro km2	3717
Population as of	2011 (urban: 2010)
Population total	520,374
Population density km2	auto
Population metro	938,580
Population density metro km2	auto
Population urban	549,839
Population density urban km2	auto
Timezone	CET
Utc offset	+1
Timezone dst	CEST
Utc offset dst	+2
Coordinates display	displayinline,title
Website	www.goteborg.se }}

Gothenburg (; pronounced ) is the second largest city in Sweden by population and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 520,374, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 938,580 inhabitants in the metropolitan area. Gothenburg is classified as a global city by GaWC, with a ranking of Gamma−.

The City of Gothenburg was founded in 1621 by King Gustavus Adolphus. It lies by the sea at the mouth of Göta Älv—the river running through the city—and is the largest seaport in the Nordic countries.

Gothenburg is home to many students, as the city includes both the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology. Volvo was founded in Gothenburg in 1927. The city is a major centre in Sweden for sports and home to the IFK Göteborg, BK Häcken, GAIS and Örgryte IS association football teams as well as the Frölunda HC ice hockey team.

Gothenburg is served by Gothenburg-Landvetter Airport, located southeast of the city centre. It is the second largest airport in Sweden. The city is also served by Gothenburg City Airport, located from the city centre.

Name

The city was named after the Geats (Swedish: ''Götar'' varied: Geatas, Gautar, Goths, Gotar, Gøtar, Götar), the inhabitants of Gothia, now southern Sweden—i.e. ''"Geat Castle"''. The river on which the city sits is the ''Göta Älv'' or Gothia River. ''Göta borg'' "Gothia Fortress" is the fort on the Göta River, built to protect the port, which was intended to be Sweden's commercial window to the west.

In Dutch, Scots and English, all languages with a long history of being spoken in this trade and maritime-oriented city, the name ''Gothenburg'' has traditionally been used for the city as in the Gothenburg Film Festival. The French form of the city name is ''Gothembourg''. ''Gottenburg'' can also be seen in some older English texts. These traditional forms are now sometimes replaced with the use of the Swedish ''Göteborg'', for example by the Göteborgsoperan and the Göteborg Ballet. However, Göteborgs universitet, previously designated as Göteborg University in English, changed to the University of Gothenburg in 2008. The municipality of Gothenburg has also reverted to the use of the English name in international contexts. Other old variations in Swedish are ''Götheborgh'', and the more common, ''Götheborg''. One English text written in the late 15th century states the name as "''Guthaeborg''".

History

In the 16th and 17th century, the configuration of Sweden's borders made Gothenburg strategically important as the Swedish gateway to the west, lying on the west coast in the narrow area between the territories of Denmark–Norway. After several failed attempts, Gothenburg was successfully founded in 1621 by King Gustavus Adolphus (Gustaf II Adolf). The site of the first church built in Gothenburg, subsequently destroyed by Dutch invaders, is marked by a stone near the north end of the Älvsborg Bridge in Färjenäs park. The church was built in 1603 and destroyed in 1611. The city was heavily influenced by the Dutch and Dutch city planners were contracted to build the city as they had the skills needed to build in the marshy areas around the city. The town was designed like Dutch cities such as Amsterdam. The plan of the streets and canals of Gothenburg closely resembles that of Jakarta, which was built by the Dutch around the same time. The Dutchmen initially won political power and it was not until 1652, when the last Dutch politician in the city's council died, that the Swedes acquired political power over Gothenburg. During the Dutch period the town followed Dutch town laws and there were propositions to make Dutch the official language in the town. Heavy city walls were built during the 17th century. These city walls were torn down after about 1810, because the development of cannons made such walls less valuable as a defence.

Along with the Dutch, the town also was influenced by Scots who came to settle in Gothenburg. Many became people of high profile. William Chalmers was the son of a Scottish immigrant and donated his fortunes to set up what later became Chalmers University of Technology. In 1841 the Scotsman Alexander Keiller founded the Götaverken shipbuilding company that still exists today. His son James Keiller donated Keiller Park to the city in 1906. The Scottish influence can still be felt in Gothenburg in the present-day with names like Glenn and Morgan, which in the rest of Sweden are rare, are not uncommon in Gothenburg, as is the use of a Scottish sounding "r" in the local dialect.

The Gothenburg coat of arms was based on the lion of the coat of arms of Sweden, symbolically holding a shield with the national emblem, the Three Crowns, to defend against its enemies.

In the Treaty of Roskilde (1658) Denmark-Norway ceded the then Danish province Halland, to the south, and the Norwegian province of Bohus County or ''Bohuslän'' to the north, leaving Gothenburg in a less exposed position. Gothenburg was able to grow into an important port and trade centre on the west coast thanks to the fact that it was the only city on the west coast that was granted, together with Marstrand, the rights to trade with merchants from other countries.

In the 18th century, fishing was the most important industry. However, in 1731 the Swedish East India Company was founded, and the city flourished due to its foreign trade with highly profitable commercial expeditions to Asian countries.

The harbour developed into Sweden's main harbour for trade towards the west, and with Swedish emigration to North America increasing, Gothenburg became Sweden's main point of departure. The impact of Gothenburg as a main port of embarkation for Swedish emigrants is reflected by Gothenburg, Nebraska, a small Swedish settlement in the United States.

With the 19th century, Gothenburg evolved into a modern industrial city that continued on into the 20th century. The population increased tenfold in the century, from 13,000 (1800) to 130,000 (1900). In the 20th century major companies that developed included SKF (est. 1907) and Volvo (est. 1926).

In 2001, major protests occurred in the city during the EU summit and the visit by U.S. president George W. Bush.

Geography

Gothenburg is located on the west coast, in Southwestern Sweden, approximately half way between the capitals Copenhagen, Denmark, and Oslo, Norway. The location at the mouth of the river Göta älv, which feeds into Kattegatt, an arm of the North Sea, has helped the city grow in significance as a trading city. The archipelago of Gothenburg consists of rough, barren rocks and cliffs, which also is typical for the coast of Bohuslän. Due to the Gulf Stream the city has a mild climate and quite a lot of rain.

The Gothenburg Metropolitan Area (''Stor-Göteborg'') has 816,931 inhabitants and extends to the municipalities of Ale, Härryda, Kungälv, Lerum, Mölndal, Partille, Stenungsund, Tjörn, Öckerö in Västra Götaland County, and Kungsbacka in Halland County.

Angered, a suburb outside Gothenburg, consists of Hjällbo, Rannebergen, Hammarkullen, Gårdsten and Lövgärdet. It is a Million Programme part of Gothenburg, like Rosengård in Malmö and Botkyrka in Stockholm. Angered has 40,000 inhabitants in total. It lies north from Gothenburg and is isolated from the rest of the city. Bergsjön is another Million Programme suburb north of Gothenburg, Bergsjön has 14,000 inhabitants. Biskopsgården is the biggest multicultural suburb on the island Hisingen, which is a part of Gothenburg separated by the river.

Climate

Gothenburg has an oceanic climate according to Köppen climate classification. Despite its high northern latitude, temperatures are quite mild throughout the year and much warmer than places in similar latitude, or even somewhat further south, mainly because of the moderating influence of the warm Gulf Stream. During the summer, daylight extends 17 hours, but lasts only around 7 hours in late December.

Summers are warm and pleasant with average high temperatures of and lows of , but temperatures of occur on many days during the summer. Winters are cold and windy with temperatures of around , even though it rarely drops below . Precipitation is regular but generally moderate throughout the year. Snow mainly occurs from December to March, but is not unusual in November and April and can sometimes occur even in October and May.

Typical temperatures and precipitation for each month:

Parks and nature

Gothenburg has many parks and nature reserves ranging in size from tens of metres to hundreds of hectares. There are many more green areas that are maintained on varying.

Selection of parks:

Kungsparken. 13 hectares, built between 1839–1861. Surrounds the canal that circles the city centre.

Trädgårdsföreningen. A park and horticultural garden, it is located next to Kungsportsavenyn. Founded in 1842 by the Swedish king Carl XIV Johan and on initiative of the amateur botanist Henric Elof von Normann. In the park there is an acclaimed rose garden with some 4,000 roses of 1,900 species.

Slottsskogen. 137 hectares, Created in 1874 by August Kobb. Has a free "open" zoo that includes seals, penguins, horses, pigs, deer, elk, goats and many birds. Hosts the Way Out West Festival.

Änggårdsbergens Naturreservat. 220 hectares. Bought in 1840 by Arvid Gren, a pharmacist, in 1963 donated to the city by Sven and Carl Gren Broberg who stated the area must remain a nature and bird reserve. Lies partly in Mölndal.

Delsjöområdets Naturreservat. Approx. 760 hectares. In use since 17th century as a farming area, a lot of forest management was carried out in the late 19th century. Skatås gym & motionscentrum is situated here.

Rya Skogs Naturreservat. 17 hectares, in 1928 became a protected area. Contains remnants of a defensive wall built in the mid to late 17th century.

Keillers Park. James Keiller donated the park in 1906. He was the son of Scottish Alexander Keiller who founded Götaverken, a shipbuilding company.

S.A. Hedlunds Park. Sven Adolf Hedlund, newspaper publisher and politician bought the 15 hectare Bjurslätt farm in 1857, in 1928 it was gifted to the city.

Hisingsparken. Gothenburg's biggest park.

Flunsåsparken. Built in 1950. Has many free activities during the summer such as concerts and theatre. See links.

Gothenburg Botanical Garden. 175 hectares. Opened in 1923. Won an award in 2003 and in 2006 was 3rd in "The most beautiful garden in Europe" competition. Around 16,000 species of plant and tree. The greenhouses contain around 4500 species including 1600 orchids.

Culture

The sea, trade and industrial history of the city is evident in the cultural life of Gothenburg. The greatest attraction in the city is the amusement park Liseberg (see Points of interest). Another fact related to the industrial heritage of the city is that many of the cultural institutions, as well as hospitals and the university, were created thanks to donations from rich merchants and industrialists, for example the Röhsska Museum.

There are many free theatre ensembles in the city, besides institutions like Gothenburg City Theatre, Backa Theatre (youth theatre), and Folkteatern. On 29 December 2004, the Museum of World Culture was opened in Gothenburg, located near Korsvägen.

The Gothenburg Film Festival, held each year, is the largest film festival in Scandinavia. Similarly, the Gothenburg Book Fair, held every year in September, is the largest such event in Scandinavia.

Citing the Financial Crisis the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions has announced that Gothenburg will host the 2010 World Library and Information Congress, previously to be held in Brisbane, Australia.

Architecture

There are very few houses left from the 17th century when the city was founded, since all but the military and royal houses were built of wood. A rare exception is Skansen Kronan.

The first major architecturally interesting period is the 18th century when the East India Company made Gothenburg an important trade city. Imposing stone houses with a Classical look were erected around the canals. One example from this period is the East India House, which today houses Gothenburg’s City Museum.

In the 19th century, the wealthy bourgeoisie begun to move outside the city walls which had protected the city when the Union of Denmark and Norway was still a threat. The style now was an eclectic, academic, somewhat over decorated style which the middle-class favoured. The working class lived in the overcrowded city district Haga, in wooden houses.

In the 19th century the first important town plan after the founding of city was created, which led to the construction of the main street, Kungsportsavenyn. The perhaps most significant type of houses of the city, Landshövdingehusen, were built in the end of the 19th century; three storey-houses with the first floor in stone and the other two in wood.

A very important period in the architectural history of the city was the early 20th century, when the National Romantic style dominated. Among the many monumental building erected the Masthugget Church can be mentioned.

And in the beginning of the 1920s, when the city celebrated its 300th anniversary, the Götaplatsen square with its Neo-Classical look was built.

After this the predominant style in Gothenburg and rest of Sweden was Functionalism which especially dominated the suburbs like Västra Frölunda and Bergsjön. The prominent Swedish functionalist architect Uno Åhrén served as the city planner here from 1932 through 1943. In the 1950s, the big stadium Ullevi was erected when Sweden hosted the 1958 FIFA World Cup.

The modern architecture of the city is being formed by such architects as Gert Wingårdh who started as a Post-Modernist in the 1980s.

A further remarkable construction is Brudaremossen TV Tower, one of the few partially guyed towers in the world.

Characteristic buildings

The Gothenburg Central Station is in the heart of the city, just next to Nordstan and Drottningtorget. The building has been renovated and expanded numerous times since the grand opening in October 1858. In 2003 a major reconstruction was finished which brought the 19th century building in to the 21st century expanding the capacity for trains, travellers and shopping. Not far from the central station is Skanskaskrapan, or more common known as "The Lipstick". It's 86 meters high with 22 floors and coloured in red-white stripes. The skyscraper was designed by Ralph Erskine and built by Skanska in the 1980s as the headquarter for the company.

By the shore of Göta Älv is the Gothenburg Opera. It was completed in 1994. The architect Jan Izikowitz was inspired by the landscape and described his vision as "Something that makes your mind float over the squiggling landscape like the wings of a seagull.

Feskekôrka, or Fiskhallen, is a fishmarket by the Rosenlundskanalen in the heart of Gothenburg. Feskekôrkan was opened on 1 November 1874 and the name comes from being compared with a church.

The Gothenburg Law Court is in the Beaux-Arts.

The Gothenburg Synagogue at Stora Nygatan, near Drottningtorget, was built in 1855 according to the designs of the German architect August Krüger.

Music

Gothenburg has a diverse music community—the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra is the best known when it comes to classical music. Gothenburg also was the birthplace of the Swedish composer Kurt Atterberg. Bands like The Soundtrack of Our Lives and Ace of Base are well known pop representatives of the city. There is also an active indie scene. For example, the musician Jens Lekman was born in the suburb of Angered and named his 2007 release ''Night Falls Over Kortedala'' after another suburb (Kortedala). Other internationally acclaimed indie artists include the electro pop duos Studio, The Knife, Air France, The Tough Alliance, songwriter José González and pop singer El Perro Del Mar as well as genre bending quartet Little Dragon fronted by vocalist Yukimi Nagano. Another son of the city is one of Swedens most popular singers, Håkan Hellström, who often includes many places from the city in his songs.

Gothenburg's own commercially successful At the Gates, In Flames and Dark Tranquillity are credited with pioneering melodic death metal. Another well known band of the Gothenburg scene is The Haunted. Progressive power metal band Evergrey also originate from the city as do power metal bands HammerFall and Dream Evil.

The Metaltown Festival is a two day festival featuring heavy metal music bands, held in Gothenburg. It has been arranged annually since 2004, taking place at the Frihamnen venue. The next festival in June 2012, will include bands such as In Flames, Marilyn Manson, Slayer, Lamb of God, and Mastodon.

Crazy Frog, a 3D-animated eurodance musical anthopormophic blue frog who was quite popular since 2005, is also from Gothenburg.

Food and drink

The city has a number of star chefs – over the past decade, seven of the Swedish Chef of the Year Awards have been won by Gothenburgers. A popular place to buy fish ingredients is the Feskekôrka ("Fish Church"); an indoor fish market which got its name from the building's resemblance to a Gothic church. Five Gothenburg restaurants have a star in the 2008 Michelin Guide: ''28 +'', ''Basement'', ''Fond'', ''Kock & Vin'', ''Fiskekrogen'' and ''Sjömagasinet''.

Sports

As in all of Sweden, a variety of sports are followed, including but not limited to football, ice hockey, basketball, team handball, and figure skating. There is a varied amateur and professional sports clubs scene. Gothenburg is the birthplace of football in Sweden as the first football match in Sweden was played there in 1892. The city's three major clubs, IFK Göteborg, BK Häcken and GAIS share a total of 34 Swedish Championships between them. IFK has also won the UEFA Cup twice. Other notable clubs include Örgryte IS (football), Pixbo Wallenstam IBK (floorball), multiple national team handball champion Redbergslids IK, and three time national ice hockey champion Frölunda HC, Gothenburg has also a professional basketball team Gothia Basket. The bandy department of GAIS, GAIS Bandy, played the first season in the highest division Elitserien last season. Probably the group stage match between the main rivals Sweden and Russia in the Bandy World Championship 2013 will be played at Arena Heden in central Gothenburg.

The city's most notable sports venues are Scandinavium (ice hockey), and Ullevi (multisport) and the new-built Gamla Ullevi (football).

The 2003 World Allround Speed Skating Championships were held in Rudhallen, Sweden's only indoor speed skating arena. It's a part of Ruddalens IP, which also has a bandy field and several football fields.

The one and only Swedish heavyweight champion of the world in boxing, Ingemar Johansson, who took the title from Floyd Paterson in 1959, was from Gothenburg.

Gothenburg has hosted a number of international sporting events including the 1958 FIFA World Cup, the 1983 European Cup Winners' Cup Final, an NFL preseason game on 14 August 1988 between the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings, the 1992 European Football Championship, the 1993 and the 2002 World Men's Handball Championship, the 1995 World Championships in Athletics, the 1997 World Championships in Swimming (Short track), the 2002 Ice Hockey World Championships, the 2004 UEFA Cup final, the 2006 European Championships in Athletics, and the 2008 World Figure Skating Championships. Annual events held in the city are the Gothia Cup and the Göteborgsvarvet.

Gothenburg hosted the XIII FINA World Masters Championships 2010. Diving, swimming, synchronized swimming and open water competitions took place from 28 July to 7 August. The water polo events were played on the neighboring city of Borås.

Economy

Due to the Gothenburg's advantageous location in the centre of Scandinavia, trade and shipping have always played a major role in the city's economic history, and they continue to do so. Gothenburg port has come to be the largest harbour in Scandinavia.

Apart from trade, the second pillar of Gothenburg has traditionally been manufacturing, and industry which significantly contributes to the city's wealth. Major companies operating plants in the area include SKF, Volvo, and Ericsson. Volvo Cars is the largest employer in Gothenburg, not including jobs in supply companies. The blue collar industries which have dominated the city for long are still important factors in the city's economy, but they are being gradually replaced by high tech industries.

Banking and finance are also important trades as well as the event and tourist industry.

Gothenburg is the terminus of the Valdemar-Göteborg gas pipeline, which brings natural gas from the North Sea fields to Sweden, through Denmark.

Historically, Gothenburg was home base of the 18th century Swedish East India Company and were from the founding of the city until the late 1970s a world leading city in ship building with shipyards as Eriksbergs Mekaniska Verkstads AB, Götaverken, Arendalsvarvet and Lindholmens varv.

Government

Demographics

Gothenburg has an ethnic Swedish population of approximately 78%. Like most Swedish metropolitan areas the city has a sizeable immigrant population. According to Statistics Sweden in 2005, there are 108,480 immigrants resident in Gothenburg, which is about 22% of the population, out of which 10% are from Iran, 9% from Iraq and 7% from Finland.

Education

Gothenburg has two universities, both of which started off as colleges founded by private donations in the 19th century. The University of Gothenburg has approximately 25,000 students and is one of the largest universities in Scandinavia and one of the most versatile in Sweden. Chalmers University of Technology is a well known university located in Johanneberg 2 km south of the inner city, lately also established at Lindholmen in Norra Älvstranden, Hisingen.

There are also four folk high schools (''Arbetarrörelsens Folkhögskola i Göteborg'', ''Folkhögskolan i Angered'', ''Göteborgs Folkhögskola'', and ''Kvinnofolkhögskolan'').

Gothenburg has some 25–30 high schools. Three of the more notable schools are Schillerska gymnasiet, Hvitfeldtska gymnasiet and Göteborgs Högre Samskola. There are also some high-schools connected to big Swedish companies. One is SKF Technical high-school (belonging to SKF) and Gothenburg's technical high-school (belonging to Volvo).

Points of interest

Gothenburg is a popular destination for tourists on the Swedish west-coast, and offers a number of cultural and architectural highlights.

The main boulevard is called Kungsportsavenyn (commonly known as ''Avenyn'', "The Avenue"). It is about one kilometre long and starts at Götaplatsen — which is the location of the Gothenburg Museum of Art, the city's theatre, the city library as well as the concert hall— and stretches out all the way to Kungsportsplatsen in the old city centre of Gothenburg, crossing a canal and a small park. The ''Avenyn'' was created in the 1860s and 1870s as a result of an international architecture contest, and is the product of a period of extensive town planning and re-modelling. ''Avenyn'' has Gothenburg's highest concentration of pubs and clubs.

Scandinavia's largest shopping centre, Nordstan, is located in central Gothenburg. Gothenburg's Haga district is known for its picturesque wooden houses and its cafés.

The Gothenburg Opera house was inaugurated in 1994, and is an architectural landmark situated right next to the Göta älv river. Museums include the Gothenburg Museum of Art, Göteborgs Konsthall, Röhss Museum, and several museums of sea and navigation history, natural history, the sciences, and East India. The Museum of World Culture was inaugurated in 2004. Aeroseum, close to the Göteborg City Airport, is a unique aircraft museum in a former military under ground Air Force base.

The Gothenburg Botanical Garden is considered to be one of the most important botanical gardens in Europe with three stars in the French Guide Rouge. Next to the botanical garden is Gothenburg's largest park, Slottsskogen, where the Natural History Museum (Naturhistoriska Museet) is located. The park is also home to the city's oldest observatorie and a zoo.

The amusement park Liseberg is located in the central part of the city. Liseberg is Scandinavia's largest amusement park by number of rides, and the most popular attraction in Sweden by number of visitors per year (more than 3 millions). Located near Liseberg is a science discovery centre named Universeum.

One of Gothenburg's most popular natural tourist attractions is the Southern Gothenburg Archipelago, which is a set of many picturesque islands that can be reached by ferry boat. Within the archipelago Älvsborg Fortress, Vinga and Styrsö islands are popular places to visit.

The Gunnebo House can be seen South of Gothenburg, in Mölndal. It was built in a neoclassical architecture towards the end of the 18th century.

Transportation

Air

}} There are two international airports around Gothenburg: Gothenburg-Landvetter Airport is located 20 km east of Gothenburg, and is the largest international airport serving the Gothenburg region in Sweden. With 4.3 million passengers in 2006 it is Sweden's second-largest airport. It is operated by the Swedish Civil Aviation Administration (Luftfartsverket). It has connections with about 40 scheduled destinations.

Gothenburg City Airport is located 15 km northwest of the city centre. It was formerly known as ''Säve Flygplats'', and today it is Gothenburg's second international airport and Sweden's 7th largest airport. It is located within the borders of Gothenburg Municipality. In addition to commercial airlines, the airport is also operated by a number of rescue services, including the Swedish Coast Guard, and is used for other general aviation. Most civil air traffic to Gothenburg City Airport is Low-cost airlines such as Ryanair and Wizzair. It has connections with 23 scheduled destinations.

Sea

The Swedish company Stena Line operates between Gothenburg/Frederikshavn in Denmark and Gothenburg/Kiel in Germany.

The "England ferry" (''Englandsfärjan'') to Newcastle over Kristiansand (run by the Danish company DFDS Seaways) ceased at the end of October 2006, after being a Gothenburg institution since the 19th century. DFDS Seaways' sister company, DFDS Tor Line, continues to run scheduled freight ships between Gothenburg and several English ports, and these have limited capacity for passengers and their private vehicles. There are also freight ships to North America and East Asia.

Rail and intercity bus

Other major transportation hubs are ''Centralstationen'' (Gothenburg Central Station) and the Nils Ericson Terminal with trains and buses to various destinations in Sweden, as well as connections to Oslo and Copenhagen (via Malmö).

Freight

Gothenburg is a logistic centre, with transports by train and truck from Sweden and Norway to Gothenburg harbour which is by far the largest port in Scandinavia with a cargo turnover of 36.9 million tonnes a year (2004).

Public transport

With over 80 km of double track the Gothenburg tram is the largest tram/light rail network in Scandinavia. The bus network, however, is almost as important. There are also some boat and ferry services. The lack of a subway is due to the soft ground on which Gothenburg is situated. Tunneling is very expensive in such conditions. There is also a commuter rail in Gothenburg servicing nearby some nearby cities and towns.

Notable people

International relations

Twin towns and sister cities

Gothenburg is twinned with:

Bergen, Norway Turku, Finland Aarhus, Denmark Oslo, Norway Shanghai, China Lyon, France Chicago, United States Kraków, Poland St. Petersburg, Russia Tallinn, Estonia Rostock, Germany Badalona, Spain

See also

Metropolitan Gothenburg

Gothenburg archipelago

Gothenburg Protocol (on acidification, eutrophication and ground-level ozone)

Largest European metropolitan areas

Largest cities of the European Union by population within city limits

Notes and references

External links

Goteborg.se – City of Gothenburg website GothenburgGuide.com – Gothenburg tourist guide Goteborg.com – Gothenburg tourism portal VisitSweden – VisitSweden's profile of Gothenburg

Category:Metropolitan Gothenburg Category:Municipal seats of Västra Götaland County Category:Swedish municipal seats Category:Populated places in Västra Götaland County Category:Coastal cities and towns in Sweden Category:Geats Category:Port cities in Sweden Category:Port cities and towns of the North Sea Category:Populated coastal places in Sweden Category:Populated places established in 1621

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The Pony Express was a fast mail service crossing the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the High Sierra from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, from April 3, 1860 to October 1861. It became the west's most direct means of east-west communication before the telegraph and was vital for tying California closely with the Union just before the American Civil War.

The Pony Express was a mail delivery system of the Leavenworth & Pike's Peak Express Company of 1849 which in 1850 became the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company. This firm was founded by William H. Russell, Alexander Majors, and William B. Waddell all of whom were notable in the freighting business.

Patee House served as the Pony Express headquarters from 1860 to 1861. It is one block away from the home of infamous outlaw Jesse James, where he was shot and killed by Robert Ford.

This original fast mail 'Pony Express' service had messages carried by horseback riders in staged relays to stations (with fresh horses and riders) across the prairies, plains, deserts, and mountains of the Western United States. During its 18 months of operation, it reduced the time for messages to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to about ten days, with telegraphic communication covering about half the distance across the continent and mounted couriers the rest.

Inception and Founding

The idea of a fast mail route to the Pacific coast was prompted largely by California's new found prominence and its rapidly growing population. After gold had been discovered there in 1848 thousands of prospectors, investors and businessmen made their way to the California Republic. By 1850 California entered the Union as a free state. By 1860 the population had grown to 380,000. The demand for a faster way to get mail and other communications to and from this western most state became even greater as the American Civil War approached.

William Russell, Alexander Majors and William Waddell were the three founders of the Pony Express and were already in the freighting business in the late 1850s with more than 4,000 men, 3,500 wagons and some 40,000 oxen.

Russell was a prominent business man and well respected among his peers and the community. Waddell was co-owner of the firm 'Morehead, Waddell & Co.'. After Morehead was bought out and retired Waddell merged his company with Russell's, changing the name to 'Waddell & Russell'. In 1855 they took on a new partner, Alexander Majors, and founded the company of Russell, Majors & Waddell. They held government contracts for delivering army supplies to the West frontier, and Russell had a similar idea for contracts with the U.S. Government for fast mail delivery.

By having a short route and using mounted riders rather than traditional stagecoaches, their proposal was to establish a fast mail service between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California with letters delivered in 10 days, a duration many said was impossible. The price was $5 per half-ounce. The founders of the Pony Express hoped to win an exclusive government mail contract, but that did not come about.

Russell, Majors and Waddell organized and put together the Pony Express in two months in the winter of 1860. The undertaking involved 120 riders, 184 stations, 400 horses and several hundred personnel during January and February 1860.

Alexander Majors was a religious man and resolved "by the help of God" to overcome all difficulties. He presented each rider with a Bible and required this oath:

Pony Express demonstrated that a unified transcontinental system could be built and operated continuously year round. Since its replacement by the telegraph, the Pony Express has become part of the lore of the American West. Its reliance on the ability and endurance of individual riders and horses over technological innovation was part of the American rugged individualism of the Frontier times.

From 1866 until 1890, the Pony Express logo was used by Wells Fargo, which provided secure mail and freight services. The United States Postal Service (USPS) used "Pony Express" as a trademark for postal services in the US. Freight Link international courier services, based in Russia, adopted the Pony Express trademark and a logo similar to that of the USPS.

Operation

In 1860 there were about 157 Pony Express stations that were about 10 miles (16 km) apart along the Pony Express route. This was roughly the distance a horse could travel at a gallop before tiring. At each station stop the express rider would change to a fresh horse, taking only the mail pouch called a ''mochila'' (from the Spanish for pouch or backpack) with him. The employers stressed the importance of the pouch. They often said that, if it came to be, the horse and rider should perish before the mochila did. The ''mochila'' was thrown over the saddle and held in place by the weight of the rider sitting on it. Each corner had a ''cantina'', or pocket. Bundles of mail were placed in these ''cantinas'', which were padlocked for safety. The ''mochila'' could hold 20 pounds (10 kg) of mail along with the 20 pounds of material carried on the horse. Included in that 20 pounds were a water sack, a Bible, a horn for alerting the relay station master to prepare the next horse, a revolver, and a choice of a rifle or another revolver. Eventually, everything except one revolver and a water sack was removed, allowing for a total of 165 pounds (75 kg) on the horse's back. Riders, who could not weigh over 125 pounds, changed about every 75–100 miles (120–160 km), and rode day and night. In emergencies, a given rider might ride two stages back to back, over 20 hours on a quickly moving horse.

It is unknown if riders tried crossing the Sierra Nevada in winter, but they certainly crossed central Nevada. By 1860 there was a telegraph station in Carson City, Nevada. The riders received $25 per week as pay. A comparable wage for unskilled labor at the time was about $1 per week.

Alexander Majors, one of the founders of the Pony Express, had acquired more than 400 horses for the project. He selected horses from around the west, paying an average of $200. These averaged about 14½ hands (4'10", or 1.47 m) high and averaged 900 pounds (410 kg) each; thus, the name pony was appropriate, even if not strictly correct in all cases.

Pony Express route

The approximately 1,900 mile route roughly followed the Oregon Trail, and California Trail to Fort Bridger in Wyoming and then the Mormon Trail (known as the Hastings Cutoff) to Salt Lake City, Utah. From there it roughly followed the Central Nevada Route to Carson City, Nevada before passing over the Sierras into Sacramento, California.

The route started at St. Joseph, Missouri on the Missouri River, it then followed what is modern day US 36 — the ''Pony Express Highway'' — to Marysville, Kansas, where it turned northwest following Little Blue River to Fort Kearny in Nebraska. Through Nebraska it followed the Great Platte River Road, cutting through Gothenburg, Nebraska and passing Courthouse Rock, Chimney Rock, and Scotts Bluff, clipping the edge of Colorado at Julesburg, Colorado, before arriving at Fort Laramie in Wyoming. From there it followed the Sweetwater River, passing Independence Rock, Devil's Gate, and Split Rock, to Fort Caspar, through South Pass to Fort Bridger and then down to Salt Lake City. From Salt Lake City it generally followed the Central Nevada Route blazed by Captain James H. Simpson of the Corps of Topographical Engineers in 1859. This route roughly follows today's U.S. Highway 50 across Nevada and Utah. It crossed the Great Basin, the Utah-Nevada Desert, and the Sierra Nevada near Lake Tahoe before arriving in Sacramento. Mail was then sent via steamer down the Sacramento River to San Francisco. On a few instances when the steamer was missed, riders took the mail via horseback to Oakland, California.

Stations

There were 184 stations along the long and arduous route used by the Pony Express. The stations and station keepers were essential to the successful, timely and smooth operation of the Pony Express mail system. They were often fashioned out of existing structures, several of the them located in military forts, while others were built anew in remote areas where living conditions were very basic. The route was divided up into five Divisions: To maintain the rigid schedule, 157 relay stations were located from 5 to 25 miles apart as the terrain would allow for. At each ''Swing Station'' riders would exchange their tired mounts for fresh ones, while Home Stations provided room and board for the riders between runs. This technique allowed the mail to be whisked across the continent in record time. Each rider rode about 75 miles per day.

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First journeys

Westbound

The first Westbound Pony Express trip left St. Joseph on April 3, 1860 and arrived ten days later in San Francisco, California on April 14. These letters were sent under cover from the East to St. Joseph, and never directly entered the U.S. mail system. To this day there is only a single letter known to exist from the inaugural westbound trip from St. Joseph, Missouri to San Francisco, California. The mailing depicted below is on a pre-stamped (embossed) envelope, first issued by the U.S. Post Office in 1855, used five years later here.

The messenger delivering the ''mochila'' from New York and Washington, D.C. missed a connection in Detroit and arrived in Hannibal, Missouri, two hours late. The railroad cleared the track and dispatched a special locomotive called the "Missouri" with a one-car train to make the 206-mile (332 km) trek across the state in a record 4 hours, 51 minutes — an average of 40 miles per hour (64 km/h). It arrived at Olive and 8th Street — a few blocks from the company's new headquarters in a hotel at Patee House at 12th Street and Pennsylvania and the company's nearby stables on Pennsylvania. The first pouch contained 49 letters, five private telegrams, and some papers for San Francisco and intermediate points.

St. Joseph Mayor M. Jeff Thompson, William H. Russell and Alexander Majors gave speeches before the ''mochila'' was handed off. The ride began at about 7:15 p.m. The ''St. Joseph Gazette'' was the only newspaper included in the bag.

The identity of the first rider has long been in dispute. The St. Joseph ''Weekly West'' (April 4, 1860) reported Johnson William Richardson was the first rider. Johnny Fry is credited in some sources as the rider. Nonetheless, the first westbound rider carried the pouch across the Missouri River ferry to Elwood, Kansas. The first horse-ridden leg of the Express was only about a half mile (800 m) from the Express stables/railroad area to the Missouri River ferry at the foot of Jules Street. Reports indicated that horse and rider crossed the river. In later rides, the courier crossed the river without a horse and picked up his mount at a stable on the other side.

The first westbound mochila reached its destination, San Francisco, on April 14, at 1:00 a.m.

{| |- | [[File:First Westbound Pony Express Apr3 1860.jpg|thumb|350px| First Period Westbound: April 3, 1860 - July 30, 1860 Letter Carried on First Westbound Trip]] | |}

Eastbound

The first eastbound Pony Express trip left San Francisco, California, on April 3, 1860 and arrived at its destination some ten days later in St. Joseph, Missouri. From St. Joseph, letters were placed in the U.S. mails for delivery to eastern destinations. There are only two letters known to exist from the inaugural eastbound trip from San Francisco to St. Joseph. {| |- | [[File:First Eastbound Pony Express Apr3 1860.jpg|thumb|350px| First Period Eastbound: April 3, 1860 - August 14, 1860 Letter Carried on First Eastbound Trip]] | |}

Mail

thumb|right|180px|Pony Express compound oval Postmark, one of many types found on the covers of Pony Express mail. As the Pony Express Mail service existed briefly in 1860 and 1861 there are consequently very few examples of surviving Pony Express mail today. Also contributing to the scarcity of surviving Pony Express mail was the fact that the cost to send a 1/2 ounce letter was $5.00 at the beginning, a costly sum in those days and mostly unaffordable to the general public. By the end period of the Pony Express, the price had dropped to $1.00 per 1/2 ounce. Even the $1.00 rate was considered a lot of money ($24 in today's money) just to mail one letter in those days. As this mail service was also a frontier enterprise, removed from the general population back east, along with the largely unaffordable rates, there are consequently few pieces of surviving Pony Express mail in the hands of collectors and museums today. Presently there are only 250 known examples of Pony Express mail.

Postmarks

Fastest mail service

In 1860, senior partner of 'Russell, Majors, and Waddell.', William Russell, one of the biggest investors in the Pony Express, used the 1860 presidential election as a way to promote the Pony Express and how fast it could deliver the U.S. Mail. Assuring that there would be fresh riders and horses along the entire Pony Express route, Russell, prior to the election, hired extra riders and ensured that fresh relay horses were available along the route. On November 7, 1860, a Pony Express rider departed Fort Kearny, Nebraska Territory (the eastern end of the telegraph line) with the election results. Riders sped along the route, over snow-covered trails and into Fort Churchill, Nevada Territory (the western end of the telegraph line). California’s newspapers received word of Lincoln’s election only seven days and 17 hours after the East Coast papers, an unrivaled feat at the time.

Attacks

The Paiute War was a minor series of raids and ambushes initiated by the Paiute Indian tribe in Nevada, which resulted in the disruption of mail services of the Pony Express. It took place from May through June 1860, though sporadic violence continued for a period afterward. In the brief history that the Pony Express operated only once did the mail not go through. After completing eight weekly trips from both Sacramento and Saint Joseph, the Pony Express was forced to suspend mail services because of the outbreak of the Paiute Indian War in May 1860.

Approximately 6,000 Paiutes in Nevada had suffered during a winter of fierce blizzards that year. By spring, the whole tribe was ready to embark on a war, except for the Paiute chief named Numaga. For three days Numaga fasted and argued for peace. However, on May 7 a few Indians raided the Williams Pony Express Station anyway, killing five men.

During the following weeks, other isolated incidents occurred when whites in Paiute country were ambushed and killed. The Pony Express was a special target. Seven other express stations were also attacked; some 16 employees were killed and approximately 150 express horses were either stolen or driven off. The Paiute war cost the Pony Express company about $75,000 in livestock and station equipment, not to mention the loss of life. In June of that year, the Paiute uprising had been ended through the intervention of U.S. government troops, after which four delayed mail shipments from the East were finally brought to San Francisco on June 25, 1860.

During this brief war, one Pony Express mailing, which left San Francisco on July 21, 1860 did not immediately reach its destination; the mail pouch (Mochila) did not reach St. Joseph and then New York until almost two years later.

Famous riders

Back in 1860, riding for the Pony Express was difficult work – riders had to be tough and lightweight. There is a famous advertisement that reportedly read, "Wanted: Young, skinny, wiry fellows not over eighteen. Must be expert riders, willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred."

The Pony Express had an estimated 80 riders that were in use at any one given time. In addition, there were also about 400 other employees including station keepers, stock tenders and route superintendents. Many young men applied for jobs with the Pony Express, all eager to face the dangers and the challenges that sometimes lay along the delivery route. Waddle and Majors could have easily hired them at a much lesser rate but instead paid them a handsome sum for that day of one hundred dollars a month. Famous American author Mark Twain, who saw the Pony Express in action first hand, described the riders in his travel memoir ''Roughing It'' as: "... usually a little bit of a man". Though the riders were small, lightweight, generally teenage boys, their untarnished record proved them to be heroes of the American West for the much needed and dangerous service they provided for the nation.

A list of riders has been compiled by the staff of the St. Joseph Museum from various sources, including accounts from people who knew riders, relatives of riders and newspapers. Some of the riders' names are listed in reference.

First riders

The first westbound rider to depart St. Joseph has been disputed, but currently most historians have boiled it down to either Johnny Fry or Billy Richardson, also known as Johnson William Richardson. Both Expressmen were hired at St. Joseph for A. E. Lewis' Division which ran from St. Joseph to Seneca, Kansas, a distance of eighty miles. They covered at an average speed of twelve and a half miles per hour, including all stops. Before the mail pouch was delivered to the first rider on April 3, 1860, time was taken out for ceremonies and several speeches. First, Mayor M. Jeff Thompson gave a brief speech on the significance of the event for St. Joseph. Then William H. Russell and Alexander Majors addressed the gala crowd about how the Pony Express was just a "precursor" to the construction of a transcontinental railroad. At the conclusion of all the speeches, approximately 7:15 p.m., Russell turned the mail pouch over to the first rider. A cannon fired, the large assembled crowd cheered, and the rider dashed to the landing at the "foot of Jules Street where the ferry boat Denver, alerted by the signal cannon, waited to carry the horse and rider across the Missouri River to Elwood, Kansas Territory. On April 9 at 6:45 p.m., the first rider from the east reached Salt Lake City, Utah. Then, on April 12, the mail pouch reached Carson City, Nevada at 2:30 p.m. The riders raced over the Sierra Nevada Mountains, through Placerville, California and on to Sacramento. Around midnight on April 14, 1860, the first mail pouch was delivered via the Pony Express to San Francisco.

James Randall is credited as the first eastbound rider from the San Francisco Alta telegraph office since he was on the steamship Antelope to go to Sacramento. Mail for the Pony Express left San Francisco at 4:00 pm, carried by horse and rider to the waterfront, and then on by steamboat to Sacramento where it was picked up by the Pony Express rider. At 2:45 a.m., William (Sam) Hamilton was the first Pony Express rider to begin the journey from Sacramento. He rode all the way to Sportsman Hall Station where he gave his mochila filled with mail to Warren Upson. A California Registered Historical Landmark's plaque at the site reads:

William Cody

Probably more than any other rider in the Pony Express, William Cody (better known as Buffalo Bill) epitomizes the legend and the folk lore of the Pony Express. Numerous stories have been told of young Cody's adventures as a Pony Express rider. At the age of 15 Cody was on his way west to California when he met up with Pony Express agents along the way and signed on with the company. Cody helped in the construction of several way-stations. Thereafter, he was employed as a rider and was given a short 45-mile delivery run from the township of Julesburg which lay to the west. After some months he was transferred to Slade's Division in Wyoming where he made the longest non-stop ride from Red Buttes Station to Rocky Ridge Station and back when he found that his relief rider had been killed. The distance of 322 miles over one of the most dangerous sections of the entire trail was completed in 21 hours and 40 minutes. It took a total of 21 horses to complete this run. Cody was present for every significant chapter in young western history, including the gold rush, the building of the railroads, and cattle herding on the Great Plains—and found himself playing a part in nearly every one of these crucial stages of development. A career as a scout during the Civil War earned him his nickname and established his notoriety as a model frontiersman.

Robert Haslam

Robert Haslam (Pony Bob) was among the most brave, resourceful, and best known riders of the Pony Express. He was born January 1840 in London, England, and came to U.S. as a teen. Haslam was hired by Bolivar Roberts, helped build the stations, and was given the mail run from Friday's Station at Lake Tahoe to Buckland’s Station near Fort Churchill which was 75 miles to the east. Perhaps his greatest ride, 120 miles in 8 hours and 20 minutes while wounded, was an important contribution to the fastest trip ever made by the Pony Express. The message carried Lincoln's inaugural address. Pony Bob Haslam's ride was the result of the Indian problems in 1860. He had received the eastbound mail (probably the May 10 mail from San Francisco) at Friday's Station. At Buckland's Station his relief rider was so badly frightened over the Indian threat that he refused to take the mail. Haslam agreed to take the mail all the way to Smith's Creek for a total distance of 190 miles without a rest. After a rest of nine hours, he retraced his route with the westbound mail. At Cold Springs he found that Indians had raided the place, killing the station keeper and running off all of the stock. Finally he reached Buckland's Station, making the 380-mile round trip the longest on record. On the ride he was shot through the jaw with an Indian arrow, losing three teeth.

Pony Bob continued to work as a rider for Wells Fargo and Company after the Civil War, scouted for the U.S. Army well into his fifties, and even later accompanied his good friend Buffalo Bill Cody on a diplomatic mission to negotiate the surrender of Chief Sitting Bull in December 1890. He drifted in and out of public mention but eventually passed away in Chicago during the winter of 1912 (age 72) in deep poverty after suffering a stroke. Buffalo Bill paid for his friend's headstone at Mount Greewood Cemetery (111 Street and Sacramento) on Chicago's far south side [Ref: Orphans Preferred (see below), pp 198–199].

Jack Keetley

Jack Keetley was hired by A. E. Lewis for his Division at the age of nineteen, and put on the run from Marysville to Big Sandy. He was one of those who rode for the Pony Express during the entire nineteen months of its existence.

Jack Keetley's longest ride, upon which he doubled back for another rider, ended at Seneca where he was taken from the saddle sound asleep. He had ridden 340 miles in thirty-one hours without stopping to rest or eat. After the Pony Express was disbanded, Keetley went to Salt Lake City where he engaged in mining.

In 1907, Keetley wrote the following letter (excerpt):

Billy Tate

Billy Tate was a young 14 year old Pony Express rider who rode the express trail in Nevada near Ruby Valley. During the Paiute uprising of 1860 he was chased by a band of Paiute Indians on horseback and was forced to retreat into the hills behind some rocks where he killed seven of his assailants in a shot-out before being killed himself. His body was found riddled with arrows but was not scalped, a sign that the Paiutes honored their enemy.

Horses

An estimated 400 horses in total were used by the Pony Express to deliver the mail. Horses were selected for swiftness and endurance. On the east end of Pony Express route the horses were usually selected from U.S. Cavalry units. At the west end of the pony Express route in California, W.W. Finney purchased 100 head of short coupled stock called "California Horses"' while A.B. Miller purchased another 200 native ponies in and around the Great Salt Lake Valley. The horses were ridden quickly between stations, an average distance of 15 miles, and then were relieved and a fresh horse would be exchanged for the one that just arrived from its strenuous run.

During his route of 80 to 100 miles, a Pony Express rider would change horses 8 to 10 times. The horses were ridden at a fast trot, canter or gallop, around 10 to 15 miles per hour and at times they were driven to full gallop at speeds up to 25 miles per hour. Horses of the Pony Express were purchased in Missouri, Iowa, California, and some western U.S. territories.

The various types of horse ridden by riders of the Pony Express included Morgans and thoroughbreds which were often used on the eastern end of the trail. Pintos were often used in the middle section and mustangs were often used on the western (more rugged) end of the mail route.

Saddle

In 1844, years before the Pony Express came to St. Joseph, Israel Landis opened a small saddle and harness shop there. His business expanded as the town grew, and when the Pony Express came to town Landis was the ideal candidate to produce saddles for the new found Pony Express. Because Pony Express riders rode their horses at a quick pace over a distance of ten and more miles between stations, every consideration was made to reduce the overall weight the horse had to carry. To help reduce this load, special light weight saddles were designed and crafted. Using less leather and fewer metallic and wood components they fashioned a saddle that was similar in design to the regular stock saddle generally in use in the West at that time.

The mail pouch was a separate component to the saddle that made the Pony Express unique. Standard mail pouches for horses were never employed because of their size and shape, as it was time consuming detaching and attaching it from one saddle to the other, causing undue delay in changing mounts. With many stops to make, the delayed time at each station would accumulate to appreciable proportions. To get around this difficulty, a ''Mochila'', or covering of leather, was thrown over the saddle. The saddle horn and cantle projected through holes which were specially cut to size in the mochila. Attached to the broad leather skirt of the mochila were four cantinas, or box-shaped hard leather compartments, where letters were carried on the journey.

Closing

Although the Pony Express proved that the central/northern mail route was viable, Russell, Majors and Waddell did not get the contract to deliver mail over the route. The contract was instead awarded to Jeremy Dehut in March 1861, who had taken over the southern Congressionally favored Butterfield Overland Mail Stage Line. Holladay took over the Russell, Majors and Waddell stations for his stagecoaches.

Shortly after the contract was awarded, the start of the American Civil War caused the stage line to cease operation. From March 1861, the Pony Express ran mail only between Salt Lake City and Sacramento. The Pony Express announced its closure on October 26, 1861, two days after the transcontinental telegraph reached Salt Lake City and connected Omaha, Nebraska and Sacramento, California. Other telegraph lines connected points along the line and other cities on the east and west coasts.

The Pony Express had grossed $90,000 and lost $200,000. In 1866, after the American Civil War was over, Holladay sold the Pony Express assets along with the remnants of the Butterfield Stage to Wells Fargo for $1.5 million.

Commemoration

In 1869 the US Post Office issued the first US Postage stamp to depict an actual historic event, and the subject that was chosen was the Pony Express. Up until this time only the faces of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson were found on the face of US Postage. Sometimes mistaken for an actual stamp used by the Pony Express, the 'Pony Express Stamp' issue was released in 1869 (8 years after the Pony Express service had ended) to honor the men who rode the long and sometimes dangerous journeys and to commemorate the service they provided for the nation.

National Pony Express Association (NPEA) is a non-profit, volunteer-led historical organization. Its purpose is to preserve the original Pony Express trail and to continue the memory and importance of Pony Express in American history in partnership with the National Park Service, Pony Express Trail Association, and the Oregon-California Trails Association.

April 3, 2010 was the Pony Express' 150th anniversary. Located in St. Joseph, Missouri, the Patee House Museum, which was the Pony Express' headquarters, hosted events celebrating the anniversary.

Historical research

The foundation of accountable Pony Express history rests in the few tangible areas where records, papers, letters and mailings have yielded the most historical evidence. Up until the 1950s most of what was known about the short lived Pony Express was the product of a few accounts, hearsay and folk Lore, generally true in their overall aspects, but lacking in verification in many areas for those who wanted to explore the history surrounding the founders, the various riders and station keepers or who were interested in stations or Forts along the Pony Express route itself.

The most complete books on the Pony Express are ''The Story of the Pony Express'' and ''Saddles and Spurs'' by Raymond & Mary Settle and Roy Bloss. Settle's account is unique as he was the first writer and historical researcher to make use of the William B. Waddell papers, now a collection at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. (Waddell was one of the founders of the Pony Express) Mr. Settle wrote in the middle 1950s. Mr. Bloss was a writer for the Pony Express Centennial. While Settle's work was published generally without his annotations and notes the writer's background here is unique and Settle does have an excellent bibliography. When Settle prepared to publish his well researched account he indeed had a good volume of footnotes, citations all prepared, but the editors chose not to use most of them. Instead they opted for a less expensive approach to print and publish and released an accurate but more simplified account. Settle was not pleased with this new and sudden development as he put much time and effort into the annotations. Yet the account Settle wrote was and is a definitive one and is considered the best account on the history of the Pony Express amongst many historians.

Legacy

Wells Fargo used the Pony Express logo for its guard and armored car service. The logo continued to be used when other companies took over the security business into the 1990s. Effective 2001, the Pony Express logo was no longer used for security businesses since the business has been sold.

In June 2006, the United States Postal Service announced it had trademarked "Pony Express" along with Air Mail.

"Pony Express" is a trademarked name used by Freight Link international courier services company in Russia; their logo is similar to the one trademarked by United States Postal Service with "Since 1860" written under the image.

Its route has been designated the Pony Express National Historic Trail. Approximately 120 historic sites along the trail may eventually be open to the public, including 50 stations or station ruins.

In popular culture

The continued remembrance and popularity of the Pony Express can be linked to Buffalo Bill Cody, his autobiographies, and his Wild West Show. The first book dedicated solely to the Pony Express was not published until 1900. However, in his first autobiography, published in 1879, Cody claims to have been an Express rider. While this claim has recently come under dispute, his show became the "primary keeper of the pony legend" when it premiered as a scene in the Wild West Show.

Film

''The Pony Express'' – (1925) – A silent film epic directed by James Cruze. Starring Ricardo Cortez, Betty Compson, Ernest Torrence, Wallace Beery, and George Bancroft (actor). ''Frontier Pony Express'' – (1939) – A film directed by Joseph Kane. Starring Roy Rogers and Mary Kane. ''Pony Post'' – (1940) – A 'B' western directed by Ray Taylor. Starring Johnny Mack Brown, Nell O'Day, Fuzzy Knight,and Iron Eyes Cody. ''Plainsman and the Lady'' – (1946) – Film centered on the beginnings of the Pony Express. Directed by Joseph Kane. Starring William Elliott, Vera Ralston, and Donald Barry. ''Pony Express'' – (1953) – "GALLOPING THRILLS! A mighty adventure when America's destiny rode in the saddle bags of the...PONY EXPRESS." Pairs Buffalo Bill Cody and Wild Bill Hickok in the establishment of the Pony Express. – Directed by Jerry Hopper. Starring Charlton Heston, Rhonda Fleming, and Forest Tucker. ''Last of the Pony Riders'' – (1953) – Directed by George Archainbaud. Starring: Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette,and Kathleen Case. ''The Pony Express Rider'' – (1976) – The Pony Express is used as means of revenge. Directed by Robert Totten. Starring: Stewart Petersen, Jack Elam, Joan Caulfield, Slim Pickens, and Dub Taylor.

''Days of the Pony Express'' – (2008) – Live action documentary of the Pony Express. Directed by Jim Conlon. Starring Justin Rother, Penny Arnold, and Rick Jones

Television

The Range Rider – (1951–1953) – The Pony Express was featured in season 1 in an episode titled, "The Last of the Pony Express." ''Pony Express'' – (1959–1960) – Little known television series centered on the Express and aired at the time of the Pony Express centennial. Bonanza – (1959–1973) – The Pony Express was featured in season 7 during a two-part episode titled, "Ride the Wind."

The Young Riders, a western television series created by Ed Spielman that presents a fictionalized account of a group of young Pony Express riders based at the Sweetwater Station in the Nebraska Territory during the years leading up to the American Civil War. The show ran on ABC from September 20. 1989 to July 23, 1992.

The Pony Express is depicted in Spielberg's mini-series "Into the West" (2005).

Gallery

See also

Joseph Alfred Slade

Pony Express Museum

Postage stamps and postal history of the United States

Royal Road

References

Bibliography

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''Century Magazine'', New York, 1898, Vol. XXXIV.

Corbett, Christopher, "Orphans Preferred: The Twisted Truth and Lasting Legend of the Pony Express", Broadway Books, New York, 2003.

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Root, George A. and Hickman, Russell K. , "Part IV-The Platte Route-Concluded. The Pony Express and Pacific Telegraph", ''Kansas Historical Quarterly'', February, 1946, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 36–92.

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Primary sources

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External links

Pony Express Exhibit at the Smithsonian Postal Museum

Pony Express papers, Research Aid

Pony Express on Oregon Trail, Wyoming Tales and Trails

Pony Express Historic Resource Study

History Buff Primary Source

Pony Express History, St. Joseph Museum Inc.

Hollenberg Pony Express Station

Pony Express home station

"The Story Of The Pony Express", National Postal Museum

List of Pony Express resources for further reading

James Nash 1838-1926 Pony express rider

Category:Wells Fargo Category:1860 establishments Category:1860 in the United States Category:1861 in the United States Category:American folklore Category:American Old West Category:Central Overland Route Category:Express mail Category:19th-century American businesspeople Category:History of the United States (1849–1865) Category:History of United States expansionism Category:Lincoln Highway Category:Historic trails and roads in California Category:Historic trails and roads in Nebraska Category:Historic trails and roads in Nevada Category:Historic trails and roads in Utah Category:Historic trails and roads in Wyoming Category:Historic trails and roads in Missouri Category:Historic trails and roads in Kansas Category:National Historic Trails of the United States Category:Utah War Category:Trails and roads in the American Old West Category:Postal history

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