History Hound Travels

Quick, tell me everything you know about the Pony Express. It lasted a couple of decades, and the mail moved from one side of the country to the other, right? The men traveled the route in all weather, and they got robbed a lot. Right? Well, those were all things I used to think, until I went to the Pony Express Museum in Marysville, Kansas. That is the only of the Pony Express buildings located on it’s original site, by the way.

So let’s talk about those things I said up there, and find out which are true.
1. The Pony Express only ran for 19 months. It holds such a large place in the mind that it’s hard to believe, but it’s true.
2. It ran from St Joseph’s Missouri to Sacramento, California.
3. The mail did move in all weather, proving that the route was viable for the mail run all year long.
4. In the 19 months it ran, not one letter was lost.

However romantically we view it today, the Pony Express was a financial disaster, losing over $200,000 dollars in it’s short life.

It’s a far cry from the way we get mail today. Whether you pull letters from a bank of commercial mailboxes or a line of distinguished residential mailboxes, you can be pretty sure your mail carrier slept at home and not in a barn last night. He’s probably not stuffing those mailboxes from horseback, either.

I was reading today on The War of Northern Aggression oops, I meant The American Civil War. This is a site I had not explored before, but I did find some interesting tidbits on it. This one was particularly striking:

if the Northern states had bought out the slave-owners and traffickers the cost would have been a fraction of what the war cost in money let alone in lives

This supports the contention of many (including yours truly) that the war was not only about slavery, but about other factors, and while slavery played a role in the conflict, it was used a s a focal point in a much larger ideological dichotomy. Check out the site for more on that.

And now a word for those of you (yankees) who wonder why this is still such a big deal: you’re not from here, are you? It’s only been 2 lifetimes since Sherman marched to the sea, ya’ll, and the collective memory goes back a long, long way. There are areas in the South that have still not recovered from that particular punishment.

We’ll start right here, in 1858, with this public domain photo. It’s hard to believe today that a suit such as this could have caused so much as a ripple, let alone and uproar, but it did. In fact, even dressed like this, one might have used a bathing machine to go swimming at that time. Bathing suit fashion had progressed, though, and at a sometimes remakable rate. In 1907, Annette Kellerman (from Australia) was arrested for indecent exposure when she visited the United States because her swimsuit showed her arms, legs and neck. Just a few years later, in the 1920, swimsuits were commonly sleeveless, and only came down to mid-thigh.

It’s a far cry from today, when this suit at left is considered modest, isn’t it? This particular suit is one of the new Plus Size Tankinis from Swimsuits for All, and it happens to be one of my favorites. They have more styles available than you can shake a stick at, including *gasp* bikinis. And while I’m not about to put one of those on, I’m pretty sure I’m not a strong enough swimmer to survive getting knocked down by a wave in the voluminous number above.

So much for a leisurely on orderly wandering through the annals of history. My mind just doesn’t work like that, as I think you have discovered with me, LOL. I thought I could do it, but it’s just not working out that way, is it?

So, lets jump to Napoleon, shall we? I’ve been fascinated by this historical figure since I found out he was just my size. Something about such a small person wielding such incredible influence appeals to my narcissistic side, LOL! Do you remember that he was exiled to the island of Elba in 1814? After looking over the island, I’m thinking he actually got a pretty good deal. And the first thing he did was to change the government!

Elba Hotel & Travel Information has a page devoted to the history of Elba from the times of the Etruscans forward. Elba today is a beautiful place, and a popular tourist destination, with activities available ranging from outdoor sports such as scuba diving and hiking to museums and art galleries. And don’t forget the delightful possibly of just wandering around enjoying the scenery and exploring sites of historical significance.

Technorati Tags: Napoleon, Elba

According to this CNN article there is new speculation about the identity of jack the Ripper. Author Charles van Onselen believes it could be Joseph Silver, the subject of his recent biography. These are some of the oldest unsolved serial murders in history, and investigation into the identity of the killer has been ongoing for well over a century now. Go read the article, and let me know your thoughts.