1858/19th Century FACSIMILE Pony Express Bible - Presented by Russell, Majors & Waddell. 

Offered for sale is a rare FACSIMILE of the 1858 "Pony Express Bible". These facsimiles were printed by the American Bible Society and it appears to date from the 1960s. To repeat - this is NOT an original 1858 Bible, but a contemporary FACSIMILE. 

William Russell, Alexander Majors, and William Waddell -- the three founders of the Pony Express -- began their partnership in 1854 with the formation of Russell, Majors & Waddell, a large freighting and stage business which crisscrossed the Western frontier, providing freight, mail, and passenger service. In 1860, the company was contracted by the U.S. government to begin a fast mail delivery service between St. Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento. This service was The Pony Express, the legendary Wild West mail service with individual mounted horsemen riding in relays to cover vast distances in a short time, operating under the slogan "The mail must go through." The Pony Express service lasted a mere nineteen months, but it has become a mainstay in the lore and legend of the American West.

Partner Alexander Majors was a staunchly religious man who not only decreed that the Sabbath be observed as a day of rest for his employees, but who also insisted that his workers take an oath promising to abstain from using profane language, from drinking to excess, and from gambling. He presented his employees -- including the Pony Express riders -- with a custom-bound Bible. Over the years, this Bible has come to be known as the "Pony Express Bible." Each Bible had the words "Presented by Russell, Majors & Waddell 1858" stamped in gilt on its front cover. 

Good condition. The leather on the spine is beginning to crack from age and is flaking somewhat, but the covers themselves are in good condition. The "RUSSELL, MAJORS & WARRELL" gilt stamp on the front cover is still intact. Text block itself is in good condition with minor fading on the pages. 

Listed # 300