Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company
Encyclopedia
The Central Overland California and Pike's Peak Express Company was the parent company of the Pony Express
.
It was formed by William Russell
, Alexander Majors
and William Waddell
, as a freighting company supplying goods to the western United States
. The company was chartered by the Kansas
legislature in February, 1860.
It absorbed the stage lines running from Missouri
to Denver and to Salt Lake City. Through its president, William H. Russell, it launched the famous Pony Express
.
In May, 1860, it succeeded to the George Chorpenning
contract for mail service from Utah
to California
. Maintenance of frequent stage service and heavy losses from the Pony Express brought embarrassment to the C. O. C. & P. P. Express.
When the Pony Express became obsolete upon completion of the Transcontinental Telegraph
, the business ran out of cash. Employees dubbed it "Clean Out of Cash and Poor Pay". On March 21, 1862, Ben Holladay
purchased the holdings at public sale for $100,000.
Its facilities in the West Bottoms
of Kansas City, Missouri
were used to outfit travelers on the Santa Fe Trail
and Oregon Trail
following the Kansas River
. After the company went out of business its facilities became the Kansas City Stockyards
.
Pony Express
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 was formed by William Russell
William Hepburn Russell
William Hepburn Russell is often credited along with Alexander Majors and William B. Waddell as the founders, owners, and operators of the Pony Express. His public life is one of numerous business ventures, some successful and some failed...
, Alexander Majors
Alexander Majors
thumb|right|240px|Alexander MajorsAlexander Majors got his start in overland freight on the Santa Fe Trail in 1848. On his first trip, he set a new time record of 92 days for the 1564 mile round trip....
and William Waddell
William B. Waddell (Pony Express founder)
William Bradford Waddell is often credited along with Alexander Majors and William Hepburn Russell as the founders, owners, and operators of the Pony Express...
, as a freighting company supplying goods to the western United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The company was chartered by the Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
legislature in February, 1860.
It absorbed the stage lines running from Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
to Denver and to Salt Lake City. Through its president, William H. Russell, it launched the famous Pony Express
Pony Express
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...
.
In May, 1860, it succeeded to the George Chorpenning
George Chorpenning
George W. Chorpenning Jr. was a pioneer in the transportation of mail, freight, and passengers through the arid and undeveloped western regions of the United States...
contract for mail service from Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Maintenance of frequent stage service and heavy losses from the Pony Express brought embarrassment to the C. O. C. & P. P. Express.
When the Pony Express became obsolete upon completion of the Transcontinental Telegraph
First Transcontinental Telegraph
The First Transcontinental Telegraph was a milestone in electrical engineering and in the formation of the United States of America. It served as the only method of near-instantaneous communication between the east and west coasts during the 1860s....
, the business ran out of cash. Employees dubbed it "Clean Out of Cash and Poor Pay". On March 21, 1862, Ben Holladay
Ben Holladay
Benjamin "Ben" Holladay was an American transportation businessman known as the "Stagecoach King" until his routes were taken over by Wells Fargo in 1866...
purchased the holdings at public sale for $100,000.
Its facilities in the West Bottoms
West Bottoms
The West Bottoms is an industrial area immediately to the west of downtown Kansas City, Missouri at the confluence of the Missouri River and the Kansas River. The area is one of the oldest areas of the city....
of Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
were used to outfit travelers on the Santa Fe Trail
Santa Fe Trail
The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century transportation route through central North America that connected Missouri with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1822 by William Becknell, it served as a vital commercial and military highway until the introduction of the railroad to Santa Fe in 1880...
and Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...
following the Kansas River
Kansas River
The Kansas River is a river in northeastern Kansas in the United States. It is the southwestern-most part of the Missouri River drainage, which is in turn the northwestern-most portion of the extensive Mississippi River drainage. Its name come from the Kanza people who once inhabited the area...
. After the company went out of business its facilities became the Kansas City Stockyards
Kansas City Stockyards
The Kansas City Stockyards in the West Bottoms west of downtown Kansas City, Missouri flourished from 1871 until closing in 1991.Jay B. Dillingham was the President of the stockyards from the 1948 to its closing in 1991.-History:...
.
See also
- Fort Morgan Cut-OffFort Morgan Cut-OffThe Fort Morgan Cut-Off of the Overland Stage Company passed through Adams County, Colorado. It was established in September 1862 as an offshoot of the Overland Trail. The established stage route traveled through the present day towns of Greeley and Laporte in northern Colorado...
- Russell, Majors and WaddellRussell, Majors and WaddellRussell, Majors and Waddell was a business partnership, based in Lexington, Missouri, between William Hepburn Russell, Alexander Majors, and William B. Waddell. It operated various transportation and communications services in the American West in the 1850s and early 1860s, including stagecoach...
- Pony ExpressPony ExpressThe 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...
- Postage stamps and postal history of the United States