Robert "Pony Bob" Haslam (January 1840,

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England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

– February 29, 1912,

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

) was a

Pony Express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company. During its 18 months of opera ...

rider in the

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. He came to the United States as a teenager and was hired by Bolivar Roberts, helped build the stations, and was assigned the run from

Friday's Station Friday's Station, on US 50 between Kingsbury Grade and Loop Road in Stateline, Nevada, was originally a two-story log-frame building prior to the addition of white lumber siding. It served as a Pony Express station and inn in 1860. In 1986, it was ...

( State Line) to

Buckland Station Buckland Station, a stagecoach station and hotel near Stagecoach, Nevada, was built c. 1870 by Samuel Buckland, proprietor (who settled here in 1859), replaced a previous stage station. It was built with simplified Greek Revival style. It was ...

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 was

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

's Inaugural Address. After the Pony Express, Haslam returned as an employee of Wells, Fargo & Company, which operated its own enterprise between

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

and

Virginia City Virginia City is a census-designated place (CDP) that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada, United States, and the largest community in the county. The city is a part of the Reno– Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. Virginia City dev ...

. He later served as a Deputy

United States Marshall The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The Marshals Service serves as the enforcement and security arm of the U.S. federal judiciary. It is an agency of the U.S. Department of Jus ...

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

. In his final years he worked in the

Hotel Congress The Hotel Congress is a federally recognized historic building located in downtown Tucson, Arizona. It was built in 1918 and designed by the Los Angeles architectural firm William and Alexander Curlett as part of an expansion of Congress Street ...

in Chicago. He made a personal

business card Business cards are card stock, cards bearing business information about a company or individual. They are shared during formal introductions as a convenience and a memory aid. A business card typically includes the giver's name, types of co ...

with a sketch of himself as a Pony Express rider at the age of twenty and entertained guests with stories of his adventures. Haslam is credited with having made the longest round trip ride of the Pony Express. He had received the eastbound mail (probably the May 10 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 Cold Spring, Cold Springs, Coldspring, or Coldsprings may refer to: Places Canada * Cold Springs, Manitoulin District, Ontario * Cold Springs, Northumberland County, Ontario * Coldspring House, British Columbia, Canada (also known as Coldsprin ...

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, completing a 380-mile round trip, the longest on record for the Pony Express. Haslam continued to work as a rider for Wells Fargo and Company after the U.S.

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, scouted for the U.S. Army well into his fifties, and later accompanied his good friend

Buffalo Bill Cody William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), better known as Buffalo Bill, was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. One of the most famous figures of the American Old West, Cody started his legend at the young age o ...

on a diplomatic mission to negotiate the surrender of Chief

Sitting Bull Sitting Bull ( ; December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota people, Lakota leader who led his people during years of resistance against Federal government of the United States, United States government policies. Sitting Bull was killed by Indian ...

in December 1890. He drifted in and out of public mention but eventually died in Chicago during the winter of 1912 (age 72) in deep poverty after suffering a stroke. It is reported that Buffalo Bill paid for Pony Bob's headstone at Mount Greenwood Cemetery on Chicago's far south side; however, the business records indicate it was paid for by a family member. A map to the grave site is available from the cemetery office during regular business hours (all week, 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM).Personal interview on 29 November 2010 with Mount Greenwood Cemetery staff, 2900 West 111th Street, Chicago, IL

References

4.^ Riders of the pony express * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Haslam, Robert 1840 births 1912 deaths Law enforcement officials from Utah United States Marshals Pony Express riders English emigrants to the United States