Who Won California and Oregon?
From The New-York Times November 26, 1860:
FORT KEARNEY, Sunday, Nov. 25.
The Pony Express from San Francisco 14th inst., passed here about 4 o’clock this afternoon. Considering the snow and bad weather in the mountains, this is making good time.
By this arrival we have Pacific news as follows:
The Presidential election returns still lack five or six thousand votes of being complete. The total vote returned thus far is 111,818. Lincoln, 36,586; Douglas, 35,990; Breckinridge, 31,216; Bell, 8,026; Lincoln over Douglas, 596. This is the most favorable account for Douglas published, other authorities placing him nearly 1,000 behind Lincoln. The balance of the returns will probably decrease Lincoln’s majority, but the State is generally conceded to him. The official count will be required to settle all doubts, however.
A dispatch from Yreka, near Oregon, on the 13th say the latest advices from Oregon give 250 majority for Lincoln over Breckinridge. Douglas was 6,000 behind Breckinridge, with three small counties to hear from, which cannot much vary the result.
Returns from a few of the principal counties show the donations on election day to the Washington Monument fund to be $4,240, which will be largely increased.
It is believed that a majority of people of California voted against calling a constitutional Convention.
Further on in the same issue:
2 months before election
ST. JOSEPH, Saturday, Nov. 24.
The extra Pony Express which left Fort Kearney on Wednesday, Nov. 7, with the election news, arrived in Salt Lake City in three days and four hours — distance, 950 miles. The last 45 miles were made in three hours and ten minutes, and this 45 miles of the route is the most mountainous of the whole road. The regular Pony Express, leaving St. Joseph on the 8th inst., arrived at Salt Lake, distance 1,200 miles, in four days and twenty-three hours. It had been snowing for thirty-six hours when the Pony left Salt Lake City.
The route sans snow storm
The Pony Express was doing its job linking the telegraph terminals to the West.
I recently posted about the Pony Express as well. The articles that I pulled had the route going through Fort Churchill, Nevada, which is south of the map that you posted (and not on the route). I wonder if Churchill was the route to take when there was a snow storm. This route vaguely followed US 50 through western Nevada. There are old outposts there as well. Anyway, from Fort Churchill, it was then telegraphed to Sacramento.
The Pony Express didn’t last long and, from what I can see, evolved much over that short period of time. It’s a part of history that I’ve hardly picked up a book about. Any suggestions?
-Eric
Thank you for your comment, Eric. I have not read any books on the Pony Express. When I was looking for material on Lincoln’s election I saw a picture of the Pony Express letter that said Lincoln was elected. It looks like it was posted from St. Joseph, Missouri on November 8th. I thought that was very interesting. Thanks to the telegraph, all the states east of California and Oregon knew who won in a couple days. Then there was this big lag getting the news to the West Coast. It took about 8 days to get the news to California.
When I read the article that I excerpted from it just kind of backed up the idea of the time lag on account of a technology lag.
The XP Pony Express Home Station credits the Pony Express with keeping California in the Union in 1860 and 1861.
All I know about the Pony Express I gleaned from the Wikipedia article. I’m not sure about the route. There is a bigger look at the map I posted at the Central Pacific Railroad Photographic History Museum. I just threw the comment about a snowstorm in because the map seemed real green and brown – the article mentioned a 36 hour snow storm.
If I find any good books about the Pony Express I’ll pass the info along – after it’s the Pony’s sesquicentennial, too – at least until October 24th next year.
The question I had after I posted the other day: supposing the election outcome depended on the results in California and Oregon?