Robert(Pony Bob)Haslam

DEFAULTSORT:Haslam, Robert,

Robert Haslam Born January 1840, London England Died February 29, 1912 , Chicago, Illinois,(nicknamed Pony Bob) was a notable employee of the American Pony Express,an American mail deliver company. "Pony Bob" Haslam, was one of the most daring, resourceful, and best known riders on the route. He was born January 1840 in London, England, and came to U.S. as a teen. He was hired by Bolivar Roberts, helped build the stations, and was assigned the run from Fridays Station, near present day State Line Nevada, to Bucklands Station Near Fort Churchill, 75 miles to the east. Perhaps his greatest ride, 120 miles in 8 hours and 20 minutes while wounded, was an important contribution to the fastest trip ever made by the Pony Express. The message carried, Abraham Lincoln's Inaugural Address. When the completion of the telegraph line from the Missouri River to Sacramento put the Pony Express out of business, Haslam continued on his old run as an employee of Wells, Fargo & Company which operated its own enterprise between San Francisco and Virginia City.

He later served as a Deputy United States Marshall in Salt Lake City. In his final years he worked in the Hotel Congress in Chicago. He made a personal business card with a sketch of himself as a Pony Express rider at the age of twenty and entertained guests with stories of his adventures. He died there in 1912, at the age of 72 years.

Pony Bob Haslam's is credited with having made the longest round trip ride of the Pony Express. He had received the east bound mail (probably the May 10th mail from San Francisco) at Friday's Station. At Buckland's Station his relief rider was so badly frightened over the Indian threat that he refused to take the mail. Haslam agreed to take the mail all the way to Smith's Creek for a total distance of 190 miles without a rest. After a rest of nine hours, he retraced his route with the westbound mail. At Cold Springs he found that Indians had raided the place killing the station keeper and running off all of the stock. Finally he reached Buckland's Station, making the 380-mile round trip the longest on record. [Bradley, Glenn D. The Story of the Pony Express: An Account of the Most Remarkable Mail Service Ever in Existence, and Its Place in History. Project Gutenberg Release #4671]

References

Pony Express Association Settle, Raymond W. and Mary Lund Settle. Saddles and Spurs: The Pony Express Saga and Bloss,Roy S. Pony Express: The Great Gamble. Roy Bloss's essay "Thomas Bowdler's Elegy For The Pony Express."