Na m e : ___ _
Directions:Date:Read about the Pony Express. Then write five questions to create a test about
what you read. (Hint: Use the 5w’s.)Hey, don’t forget to go back and do a quick read, or
scan, of the paragraph as you write each question.The Pony Express is one of the many interesting things that
occurred as the American West was developed. The Pony
Express was a mail service that carried mail by horseback from
St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California. The service
began on April 3, 1860. Before that time in our country, it took
up to three weeks for mail to cross the country. But with the
Pony Express, mail could make the 2,000-mile trip in just 10 days.
How was this done? Mail was packed in special saddle bags. Riders rode along a
trail of stations, or stops, which were about 25 miles apart. As a rider arrived at a
station, he moved the saddle bags to a fresh horse and continued the trip. Riders
were expected to cover 75 miles a day. Most riders were young men or teenagers.
The Pony Express had more than 100 stations, 80 riders, and about 500 horses. It
was discontinued in 1861 when the business went bankrupt, or broke.