Johnny Fry
Encyclopedia
Johnny Fry was the first "official" westbound rider of the Pony Express
.
Fry was born in Bourbon County, Kentucky
to John Fry and Mary Fry. Mary moved with her son and new husband Benjamin Wells to Rushville, Missouri
around 1857.
Fry, who weighed less than 120 pounds, was assigned to the first leg of the westbound route of the Pony Express delivering it from the stables in St. Joseph, Missouri a few blocks to a ferry across the Missouri River
before carrying it on to Seneca, Kansas
. Ads for the Pony Express said, "Wirey young men, preferably orphans to ride 20 miles..."
While there are no photographs of the start of the Pony Express, the old tin-type of Johnny Fry standing next to Johnson William Richardson
in a sailor's hat and jacket, with Charlie Cliff and his brother Gus Cliff pictures the riders hired by Lewis for Russell, Majors and Waddell.
The start of the Pony Express which was delayed two hours to 7:15 p.m. because the courier from the East Coast had missed a train connection. Fry was the scheduled official first rider on April 3, 1860. According to an article, a 9-year-old Richardson rode the first blocks from the stables to the river, where the pouch was handed to Fry, who rode the ferry to Elwood, Kansas
and then took it on to Seneca, Kansas
. Richardson said he rode first because his brother Paul Coburn, who managed the stable, threw the pouch on his horse. Fry was to deliver the first eastbound mail back to St. Joseph.
Local lore says that the donut
was invented as a cake for him to eat while speeding by young girls homes.
After the Pony Express went out of business in 1861 Fry joined the Union
Army and was killed by Quantrill's Raiders
in the Battle of Baxter Springs
.
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...
.
Fry was born in Bourbon County, Kentucky
Bourbon County, Kentucky
Bourbon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the remnant of what was previously a much larger Bourbon County, established as part of Virginia in 1785, and comprising what are now thirty-four modern Kentucky counties...
to John Fry and Mary Fry. Mary moved with her son and new husband Benjamin Wells to Rushville, Missouri
Rushville, Missouri
Rushville is a village in Buchanan County, Missouri, United States. The population was 280 at the 2000 census, at which time it was a town. It is part of the St...
around 1857.
Fry, who weighed less than 120 pounds, was assigned to the first leg of the westbound route of the Pony Express delivering it from the stables in St. Joseph, Missouri a few blocks to a ferry across the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
before carrying it on to Seneca, Kansas
Seneca, Kansas
Seneca is a city in and the county seat of Nemaha County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,991.-History:...
. Ads for the Pony Express said, "Wirey young men, preferably orphans to ride 20 miles..."
While there are no photographs of the start of the Pony Express, the old tin-type of Johnny Fry standing next to Johnson William Richardson
Johnson William Richardson
Johnson William "Billy" Richardson was a native of Virginia. At a fairly young age he was shanghaied onto a sea going freighter where he sailed in icy seas of the North Atlantic. It was a number of years before he found an opportunity to make a successful escape. He ventured to St...
in a sailor's hat and jacket, with Charlie Cliff and his brother Gus Cliff pictures the riders hired by Lewis for Russell, Majors and Waddell.
The start of the Pony Express which was delayed two hours to 7:15 p.m. because the courier from the East Coast had missed a train connection. Fry was the scheduled official first rider on April 3, 1860. According to an article, a 9-year-old Richardson rode the first blocks from the stables to the river, where the pouch was handed to Fry, who rode the ferry to Elwood, Kansas
Elwood, Kansas
Elwood is a city in Doniphan County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,224. It is part of the St. Joseph, MO–KS Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Elwood is located at...
and then took it on to Seneca, Kansas
Seneca, Kansas
Seneca is a city in and the county seat of Nemaha County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,991.-History:...
. Richardson said he rode first because his brother Paul Coburn, who managed the stable, threw the pouch on his horse. Fry was to deliver the first eastbound mail back to St. Joseph.
Local lore says that the donut
Doughnut
A doughnut or donut is a fried dough food and is popular in many countries and prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and franchised specialty outlets...
was invented as a cake for him to eat while speeding by young girls homes.
After the Pony Express went out of business in 1861 Fry joined the Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
Army and was killed by Quantrill's Raiders
Quantrill's Raiders
Quantrill's Raiders were a loosely organized force of pro-Confederate Partisan rangers, "bushwhackers", who fought in the American Civil War under the leadership of William Clarke Quantrill...
in the Battle of Baxter Springs
Battle of Baxter Springs
The Battle of Fort Blair, sometimes called the Fort Baxter Massacre, or the Battle of Fort Baxter was a minor battle of the American Civil War, fought on October 6, 1863, near the present-day town of Baxter Springs, Kansas....
.