1860s Wild West Rider Talks About the Pony Express - Enhanced Video & Audio [60 fps] 

A year later he passed away…this is the first and last film of him. Hundred years later, he was watched by people of the future.

Born 1845, worked pony express during the 1860's, (60 and 61) died in 1930. The method of firing his piece was called 'gun fanning). Truly a magnificent piece of living history.

I'll bet that old timer was one TOUGH DUDE all day long. I'm glad someone had the foresight to interview him before he passed.

This was one of the most fascinating things I've seen. 84 years old and look at that long hair! In 1929 when all men were supposed to be "clean cut".

I'm so thankful people in the 1920's and 30's had the wherewithal to record this for posterity

Pony Express riders were widely admired when the service was still active. Mark Twain in his book “Roughing It” describes his excitement at seeing a Pony Express rider when he was a young man on a stagecoach journey out west. “Presently the driver exclaims: "HERE HE COMES!" Every neck is stretched further, and every eye strained wider. Away across the endless dead level of the prairie a black speck appears against the sky, and it is plain that it moves. Well, I should think so! In a second or two it becomes a horse and rider, rising and falling, rising and falling--sweeping toward us nearer and nearer--growing more and more distinct, more and more sharply defined--nearer and still nearer, and the flutter of the hoofs comes faintly to the ear--another instant a whoop and a hurrah from our upper deck, a wave of the rider's hand, but no reply, and man and horse burst past our excited faces, and go winging away like a belated fragment of a storm! So sudden is it all, and so like a flash of unreal fancy, that but for the flake of white foam left quivering and perishing on a mail-sack after the vision had flashed by and disappeared, we might have doubted whether we had seen any actual horse and man at all, maybe.” Mark Twain Roughing It

I wonder if anyone ever told him thank you. Told him how important he was. For his job and for history.

from all the thing i could say about the videos on this channel, the most interesting thing to me is the way people used to speak. loud, clear, no filler words, with breaks in between which clearly represent the end of a sencente or a comma. you could say it sounds more thoughtful.

Love that bewildered look this former rough riding pony rider gives that automobile of modern convenience and luxury zooming behind him. The ways of yesterday and the way of tomorrow collide.

As a still active rural mail carrier ( 30+ years ) and a farmer, I really enjoy these historic videos. Thanks for posting.

Wow, what a cool relic from the past! That guy's life span encompassed so much change... Lucky he lived long enough to tell some of his stories on film

I am a Korean viewer. I feel like I'm in American history! And I thought English was the same... It's different. In the 1800s, the voices of the American "Wild Western" era felt like they represented the entire American voice. Thank you for posting a truly fascinating and valuable video!

My great-grandpa rode on the pony express at that time. He had 13 kids. The youngest was my grandpa. They had 14 kids. The 9th was my mom. Then she had me late in life. So my great-grandpa was born about 140 years before I was born.

"The Mail goes through just the same" he said...learned that when I was 16 in 1970 and got a part time job working at the Post Office before School- (4-7a.m.)--they paid me like an adult and we still wore the patch of the Pony Express at the time. We picked up, sorted, delivered that mail no matter the elements, the mail load or anything.. His legacy of that spirit stayed on. What a legend.

When the car passed by, it was interesting to see his instincts take hold....very fascinating piece of psychology

Tough old bird and proud, genuine article, what intrigues me in these old videos is also the accent not at all like American accent now, its kind of high and singsong, ive heard it many times

I am now living 1/2 mile NW of the Pony Express Trail, in EL DORADO County, Northern CA. Actually ate breakfast at the national landmark restaurant this morning Sportsmans Bar, on Pony Exoress Trail. Great food, wonderfully nice staff & many details about the Pony Ex Press memorabilia on the walls inside & plaques outside. Fascinating site!!!

There that guy is just 8 years shy of a hundred years ago, and he's looking perfectly hip and in fashion.

People don't appreciate how difficult and life threatening these jobs were for all involved. You had to be able to protect yourself because no one was around to help out. That's why pony express riders were orphans. If you got killed, no one would miss you. Today people take everything for granted.

Wow you see that reaction to the car passing by at 1:30...he was on guard ready to fire. Pure instinct and possibly some trauma from what was a dangerous job...wow

Fanning the revolver was the most inaccurate shooting technique, but he used it to show how dangerous the situation could get. Spraying bullets as fast as possible until they run out was all he could to at times to protect himself against enemies. One tough man.

So he rode those trails at the age of 15-16! Wow! I had to get permission to travel within my city when I was 16

Wow, this guy was amazing. My great, great grandfather was Mayor of New Orleans during the 1860’s living the politician lifestyle in comparison to the arduous work men like Richard Clarke did daily. Awesome job with these videos!

Freaking car just driving in the back of this old video. Really just crazy how everything overlapped like that.

What an amazing piece of living history. And he’s fast on the six-guns too. Can’t even begin to imagine how much he’s been through during those times. 🤠👍🏼

This is so awesome. I wish we had been able to capture people who lived during the 1700's/American Revolution with photography and video. I know that there are a handful of pictures of men taken during the 1800's that fought in the American Revolution, they were very old.

It's great to see those old-timers, but I'm totally digging the background. Is that a dobro or a slide? To the youngsters watching these, it must seem ordinary and rather commonplace to see someone speaking on camera, and the black and white is rather quaint. But I marvel at the fact that someone got a big, bulky camera, and the massive sound equipment, sync'd, no less, and travelled the country to get these fellers in their dotage, before their stories were lost forever. Mahalo Plenty for posting this one and all of the others. Bless 'em all, much Aloha.

Firing a gun mid interview. Legend

The Pony Express route is just two blocks from my house -- between Old Sacramento and the first station at Mills. A month after it all began, the railroad that ran parallel to the first miles of the route was completed and that portion was covered by the train.

Thanks For Posting Such A Bit Of Great Classic History, Especially That Rider In The Pony Express.

Just amazing listening to these old timers that lived that life. Makes me feel good that films with sound came in time to listen to these folks tell their stories in their own words.

A fine addition to the collection. I could only wish that he had stood up in full view, so we could estimate size and weight. I have read that the riders were typically about 135 lbs. and 5'7" at most in deference to what the horses could carry for 20 or 25 miles.

Love his hat with the rattlesnake hatband. Love to hear the story on it. I'm so glad I stumbled across this channel I could listen to the ol timers all day. Y'all stay safe and God bless

I wish I could have sat and talked to him..heard more stories...cool guy

Priceless video. Thanks so much!

He lived the Wild West. I wonder what he'd think about the world if he could see it now.

Pony Express riders were all under the age of 18, skinny, short and wiry. Orphans were preferred. They made $25 a week which in today's dollars is $3550 a month. Good money for a young teenager. There were like 150 posts along the way from Missouri to California. The riders would ride from their home station (usually a hotel) stopping every 15 miles to change horses and finish around 100 miles away. They would wait there until the mail came the other way and then back to their home station. The Pony Express only lasted a short while like a year because of the new invention called the Telegraph came along. If this guy was with Custer, he was probably with the Benteen or Crooks outfits or he would be dead. Most don't realize that battle spanned several days and dozens of miles.

I'm so thankful for the generations of very clever and hardworking people that came before me that make this way of life possible. Yes, people were tougher back then but that doesn't mean they were "better"; to wish to return to that time of hardship would be an insult to the hard work they did for us. We stand on the backs of giants.

Up near Troy KS there is a cut-out, life sized statue of a rider going full speed in the middle of a field next to the highway. No sign or anything. Just a shadow passing by

Amazing video! Thank you

Now that's a tough bugger that's why he lived to 84 years old bet he had seen some major hardships bless him 🙏

Boy he knew how to turn that single action revolver,into a semi auto 👍

Amazing! Thanks for posting. 👍🏻

I wonder how many people viewing this knows that the pony express only lasted for 18 months.

Imagine the adventures that man had! Awesome!

I love to hear & see how things were in the past. These are great videos!

His voice was much different than ours today

A real life man from the wild west, crazy to think how much things changed during his life

So glad somebody thought to talk with him. Thanks for sharing.

Recent subscriber here- Love your channel!! Thanks for bringing us good wholesome unedited videos. Clean talk. Straight and true. How it used to be. God bless you!!

During the outtake when he drew his pistol I thought he was going to shoot the driver of the Car 😆

This man lived through the Civil war and Lincoln's assassination

I had an ancestor who was a Pony Express Rider. Eventually, he married a Native American woman and returned to the Eastern U.S. where his family was from and they raised their family.

Amazing content. The past isn't as far away as it seems.

He fanned that hammer like a pro, at his age.

Mark Twain gives a brilliant description of Express life in Roughing It

It also shows how authentic most of our old cowboy films were

This was so AWESOME!! I wish the interview had lasted longer! The things that man could have told us about. ❤

Young people need to see this to see how fare we have come and remind them we can go back that way.

A true gunslinger once he noticed the car he did a stealthy Quickdraw then turned his head slowly the things he must've seen

Now that’s what I call a mailman!

Beyond cool! Fascinating.

When the pony express ended many of them went to the newly formed Border because they were accustomed to life and death challenges and they were a force to be reckoned with.

Love these videos

This channel is amazing. It’s fascinating to see the people of the past.

This is really history. Love it. This fills my spirit with joy. Hope his family is living strong

My Great Great Grandfather was a pony express rider in Wyoming. He had 2 run ins with native Americans. He got away both times, but had his favorite horse stolen the 2nd time. It brought him to tears. He had to do the rest on foot. It was near rock springs Wyoming I believe. Before joining the pony express, he was captured by the Mormon army, and kept for a month or so, then eventually let him go. He met Brigham young, and one of his daughters, Vilate.

Loved it! 😍

I had no doubt he was about to crack off a round at that car. 😂

Bonkers!,I say..high adventure, pioneers of the day.,getting chased and riding for your life!..what a trip!.

Pony Express riders were young men (13-17).... some just barely out of boyhood. This old guy was talking about a time way past gone, even for him..

This is ridiculously amazing!

Wonderful living history of an age and about people who did it tough. Respect from Australia.

I never thought I'd see an aunthentic 1860s cowbow shoot a revolver the way that so many tales about them used to protray it! Thanks for this video, and for keeping history alive.

Would have been nice to hear him talk about his experience on the battle Of Little Big Horn. He obviosly fought longside Custer as mentioned above. But every one of Custes men was wiped out on the hill. I guess Richard Clarke was either with Reno or Benteen. Wonder if there is a longer interview with this badass Oldtimer

I loved that little outtake with the car lol!

I love this channel ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

God bless you and your channel, Michael ❤️❤️❤️❤️🙏👏🏻👍👍🇺🇸

Very good video, cheers from Morocco!

I am... Actually kind of happy he, in a way, gets to live on forever as this cowboy. No matter what came of his soul. And he doesn't even know it.

These guys rode thousands of miles from Missouri to Sacramento CA. Just incredible.

I could list to these types of videos all day

old boy was a little squirrely with that revolver! lol

Very cool video!

Thanks for the time machine.

I’m surprised there’s no comments on that he drew his gun out in reaction to something coming up behind him.

I had thought that the US Postal service had gone back to the pony express but apparently I was wrong. Those old guys were MUCH MUCH more determined and dedicated to getting the mail through and delivered on time!!

We take so many things for granted. We forget about the sacrifices and the bravery of our forefathers.

I live on the Pony Express this is awesome thank you

My father in law owns a pony express station in colorado, it's been turned into a house now with parts added on.

This is the closest to any character I've seen theat actually looks like a dude from a western or the wild west. Incredible thing to see to someone from my day and age.

I have this book on the Pony Express and it states that the riders were not allowed to cuss. On the job, I think it was.

he lived to be 95, thats incredible,times are not like this anymore, unbelievable to make it that long on the farm

Love it.

What a legend from the past,I liked his sense of humour

That guy still had his Wild West mullet to the end. Total badass!

How ironic that a car drives past as he recounts the time before autos... would be even more ironic if it had been a mailman!

Fascinating piece of recorded history...

The psychology of syntax is deep, and important.

He still has a tactical mindset, his 6th sense kicked in when, right behind him, he turned his head as that car whizzed by, no doubt from subconscious encounters years ago as a pony express rider