1 00:00:01,040 --> 00:00:04,160 Speaker 1: Hey, folks, erin here. I'm thrilled to bring to your 2 00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:08,920 Speaker 1: ears a bonus episode from my newest audiobook, Cabinets of Curiosities. 3 00:00:09,280 --> 00:00:12,280 Speaker 1: This audiobook isn't just a treasure trove of stories from 4 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:14,640 Speaker 1: the podcast though which many of you have a joined, 5 00:00:14,920 --> 00:00:18,599 Speaker 1: but it also includes new tales never before shared. Plus, 6 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:22,759 Speaker 1: the audiobook also features an exclusive series of conversations between 7 00:00:22,760 --> 00:00:27,040 Speaker 1: me and fellow history podcaster and author Dana Schwartz from 8 00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: the show Noble Blood. In our conversations, we dive deep 9 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:34,040 Speaker 1: into the process of researching and crafting these stories, share 10 00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:38,240 Speaker 1: our own personal perspectives on storytelling, and discuss why certain 11 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:41,520 Speaker 1: stories from the Cabinets of Curiosities stand out to us. 12 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:44,800 Speaker 1: To what your appetite for the full audiobook experience. I'm 13 00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:47,040 Speaker 1: pleased to share a preview of one of the stories, 14 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:49,720 Speaker 1: along with a bit of our behind the scenes discussion 15 00:00:50,000 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 1: right now, so kick back and enjoy up. Its legacy 16 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:07,480 Speaker 1: is as American as baseball and apple pie. Its writers 17 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:11,720 Speaker 1: were fast, famous, and fearless. It has been the subject 18 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:15,399 Speaker 1: of over a dozen films and television shows, and it 19 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:17,959 Speaker 1: became the foundation of one of the largest banks in 20 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 1: the world. When it came to speed and reliability. In 21 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:26,720 Speaker 1: the eighteen sixties, you couldn't beat the Pony Express. As 22 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:30,280 Speaker 1: California began to boom from the Gold Rush, business owners 23 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:33,880 Speaker 1: and settlers needed a faster way to communicate with folks 24 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:38,000 Speaker 1: farther east. At the time, letters and packages took roughly 25 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:41,880 Speaker 1: twenty five days to travel by stagecoach, even longer if 26 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:45,840 Speaker 1: going by ship. The Pony Express more than half that time, 27 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:50,360 Speaker 1: with an average delivery window of about ten days. Not 28 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:54,320 Speaker 1: everyone used the Pony Express, though it was really expensive 29 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:57,160 Speaker 1: for the average person to send a letter at five 30 00:01:57,240 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 1: dollars per half ounce of mail. The service was primarily 31 00:02:00,720 --> 00:02:04,520 Speaker 1: used as a delivery method for newspapers, business correspondents, and 32 00:02:04,680 --> 00:02:09,400 Speaker 1: government bulletins. Gold Rush hopefuls just couldn't afford the speedy service, 33 00:02:10,560 --> 00:02:14,000 Speaker 1: and speedy it was. Ten days may have been the 34 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:16,520 Speaker 1: average time it took to deliver a letter, but it 35 00:02:16,560 --> 00:02:20,400 Speaker 1: certainly wasn't the fastest. That record belonged to Robert Haslam. 36 00:02:20,960 --> 00:02:24,360 Speaker 1: He earned the nickname Pony Bob for a very good reason. 37 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:29,080 Speaker 1: He was responsible for the fastest delivery in Pony Express history. 38 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:32,600 Speaker 1: Bob had come to the United States from England as 39 00:02:32,639 --> 00:02:35,720 Speaker 1: a teenager, just as the Pony Express was getting up 40 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:39,480 Speaker 1: and running. He'd gotten his start by building depot stations, 41 00:02:39,600 --> 00:02:41,560 Speaker 1: but was soon given a route of his own from 42 00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:45,359 Speaker 1: Lake Tahoe to Buckland Station, a seventy five mile stretch 43 00:02:45,400 --> 00:02:50,359 Speaker 1: of Nevada Territory all his own. In May of eighteen sixty, 44 00:02:50,600 --> 00:02:54,440 Speaker 1: with his deliveries in tow, Bob traveled on horseback from 45 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:57,880 Speaker 1: San Francisco to Buckland Station, where he got a taste 46 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:02,000 Speaker 1: of a growing war. Civil war, mind you, but one 47 00:03:02,040 --> 00:03:05,639 Speaker 1: that must have seemed equally as terrifying. The Pyramid Lake 48 00:03:05,720 --> 00:03:08,840 Speaker 1: Indian War had found its way to Buckland Station in 49 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:11,760 Speaker 1: a bad way. The relief rider who was supposed to 50 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:14,800 Speaker 1: carry Bob's mail east to Smith's Creek was too scared 51 00:03:14,840 --> 00:03:18,760 Speaker 1: to ride due to the growing Native American threat. Bob 52 00:03:18,840 --> 00:03:22,360 Speaker 1: couldn't let the letters he'd been carrying go undelivered. He 53 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:25,680 Speaker 1: had a decision to make and quick, or his trip 54 00:03:25,720 --> 00:03:28,680 Speaker 1: would have been for nothing. So he mounted up and 55 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:32,840 Speaker 1: kept going one hundred and ninety miles on horseback in 56 00:03:33,160 --> 00:03:36,800 Speaker 1: just under nine hours without rest, and he made it. 57 00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:41,200 Speaker 1: Bob slept all night before traveling back to Buckland Station 58 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:44,720 Speaker 1: the next day. Once he reached the depot at Cold Springs, 59 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:48,480 Speaker 1: he noticed the war had finally arrived. The station keeper 60 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 1: had been killed, and everything inside had been taken. There 61 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:55,320 Speaker 1: was no time to stop. The longer he lingered, the 62 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:58,520 Speaker 1: more danger he was putting himself in, so he just 63 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:03,600 Speaker 1: kept going. Three hundred and eighty miles later, pony Bob 64 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:06,520 Speaker 1: had done it. He'd completed the longest round trip on 65 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:09,880 Speaker 1: record for the Pony Express in less than two days. 66 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:14,240 Speaker 1: Bob Haslam rode for the Pony Express for months following 67 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:17,080 Speaker 1: his record breaking journey, but the most important ride of 68 00:04:17,120 --> 00:04:20,599 Speaker 1: his life was still yet to come. In April of 69 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:24,040 Speaker 1: eighteen sixty one, a very special delivery had to get 70 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:27,000 Speaker 1: from Fort Kearney in the Nebraska Territory all the way 71 00:04:27,080 --> 00:04:31,040 Speaker 1: to Placerville, California. If it didn't make it, the fate 72 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:34,320 Speaker 1: of the entire country might be at risk, and only 73 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:38,599 Speaker 1: one rider was fit to carry such precious cargo, pony 74 00:04:38,640 --> 00:04:42,239 Speaker 1: Bob himself. He picked up the bundle, tucked it into 75 00:04:42,279 --> 00:04:45,320 Speaker 1: his saddle bag, and rode for one hundred twenty miles. 76 00:04:45,839 --> 00:04:49,240 Speaker 1: His route took him through Pyute, Indian Territory, and as 77 00:04:49,279 --> 00:04:52,200 Speaker 1: he traveled, he encountered a handful of braves who didn't 78 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:55,479 Speaker 1: take kindly to him trespassing on their land. One of 79 00:04:55,480 --> 00:04:58,560 Speaker 1: their arrows found its way into his arm, while another 80 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:02,120 Speaker 1: flew straight into his job, knocking out several of his teeth. 81 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:05,799 Speaker 1: The attack didn't deter him, though, and his horse galloped 82 00:05:05,839 --> 00:05:09,200 Speaker 1: faster until they were out of danger. He made it 83 00:05:09,240 --> 00:05:12,680 Speaker 1: to California in just eight hours and twenty minutes and 84 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:16,320 Speaker 1: then delivered his package. You see, that precious cargo he'd 85 00:05:16,360 --> 00:05:20,400 Speaker 1: been carrying had been Abraham Lincoln's inaugural address, which was 86 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:23,760 Speaker 1: to be telegraphed to Sacramento for publication up and down 87 00:05:23,760 --> 00:05:27,120 Speaker 1: the West coast. And if Bob hadn't made it in time, 88 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:31,400 Speaker 1: California might have chosen to side with the Confederacy at 89 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:35,559 Speaker 1: the start of the Civil War. What's most interesting about 90 00:05:35,560 --> 00:05:38,880 Speaker 1: the Pony Express isn't the roster of riders like Pony 91 00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:43,200 Speaker 1: Bob Haslam or Buffalo Bill Cody, nor the blistering speed 92 00:05:43,279 --> 00:05:46,400 Speaker 1: with which mail was delivered across the country. It wasn't 93 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:50,240 Speaker 1: even the dangerous conditions its riders faced, like mounting threats 94 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:54,440 Speaker 1: from the Native Americans or the harsh weather. No, it's 95 00:05:54,520 --> 00:05:58,320 Speaker 1: that this company, which has such an enduring legacy as 96 00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:03,240 Speaker 1: an icon of American industry existed for only eighteen months. 97 00:06:07,480 --> 00:06:10,360 Speaker 1: I hope you've enjoyed this first gallery in our exhibit 98 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:14,560 Speaker 1: of Curiosities. I've loved revisiting each of these wonders, but 99 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:18,240 Speaker 1: no curator works alone. So I've invited my friend and 100 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:21,800 Speaker 1: fellow story steward, Dana Schwartz, to join us for some 101 00:06:21,920 --> 00:06:26,680 Speaker 1: special bonus conversations after each category in the collection. Welcome Dana. 102 00:06:27,320 --> 00:06:29,200 Speaker 2: Thank you so much for having me here. And it 103 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:32,480 Speaker 2: is so much fun a to explore at these treasures 104 00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:35,160 Speaker 2: and also just to be chatting with you. I am 105 00:06:35,240 --> 00:06:37,560 Speaker 2: so excited to discuss some of my favorites with you. 106 00:06:37,760 --> 00:06:39,880 Speaker 2: So want to start with Pony Up. 107 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:41,520 Speaker 1: Absolutely, let's do it. 108 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:45,560 Speaker 2: Okay, So something like the Pony Express, which has such 109 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:48,960 Speaker 2: an enduring legacy in America. I feel like this outsize 110 00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:53,640 Speaker 2: like pop culture effect. It's insane to discover that it was, 111 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:57,159 Speaker 2: in fact so short lived. In your research, do you 112 00:06:57,200 --> 00:07:02,240 Speaker 2: often find certain events or characters that have left disproportionate footprints. 113 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:05,919 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's very common. I feel like so many of 114 00:07:05,960 --> 00:07:09,360 Speaker 1: the stories that are part of the Cabinet of Curiosities 115 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:13,120 Speaker 1: are They're the kind of tales that hinge on a 116 00:07:13,200 --> 00:07:17,560 Speaker 1: snap decision or a chance encounter, you know, something that's 117 00:07:17,720 --> 00:07:20,560 Speaker 1: it's seconds long. It's just it took somebody a heartbeat 118 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:22,440 Speaker 1: to think I'm going to go this direction instead of 119 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:26,880 Speaker 1: that direction. And those kind of choices often change history. 120 00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:28,920 Speaker 1: They certainly change the lives of the people who are 121 00:07:28,920 --> 00:07:31,720 Speaker 1: making them. But so many of the stories that we 122 00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:35,960 Speaker 1: tell often come down to those little, insignificant moments, and 123 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:38,480 Speaker 1: I think that's what gives them power. It shows that 124 00:07:38,960 --> 00:07:43,680 Speaker 1: for this brief moment in time, anybody can be historically significant, 125 00:07:43,680 --> 00:07:44,240 Speaker 1: which I love. 126 00:07:45,120 --> 00:07:48,120 Speaker 2: What is it about the Pony Express specifically that you 127 00:07:48,160 --> 00:07:49,960 Speaker 2: think captured the American imagination? 128 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:52,720 Speaker 1: Well, you know, I think that we've got this Western 129 00:07:53,480 --> 00:07:57,720 Speaker 1: mythology at play. People jump on horseback and they ride 130 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:00,440 Speaker 1: around and the you know, the wilderness, the why open 131 00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:04,360 Speaker 1: expanse of the West of America, and it feeds into 132 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:07,640 Speaker 1: that romanticism a lot. Also, there's just the utility of it, 133 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:10,520 Speaker 1: and there's a human endurance element to it as well, 134 00:08:10,560 --> 00:08:12,880 Speaker 1: like the fact that they rode so far and so 135 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:16,440 Speaker 1: fast it boggles the mind. And again it was only 136 00:08:16,520 --> 00:08:18,760 Speaker 1: in existence for such a short time that yet in 137 00:08:18,800 --> 00:08:23,040 Speaker 1: our mind we think it was this long standing, ongoing tradition. 138 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:28,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, the way that information travels has changed pretty drastically 139 00:08:28,200 --> 00:08:31,600 Speaker 2: since the days of the Pony express. Since you study 140 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:36,520 Speaker 2: folklore and history and stories that have traveled over time, 141 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:41,120 Speaker 2: does the way that information travels influence the way that 142 00:08:41,160 --> 00:08:43,280 Speaker 2: you think about stories in this book? 143 00:08:44,480 --> 00:08:46,880 Speaker 1: It does. You know, I don't know how you work 144 00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:49,800 Speaker 1: for your show, but I tend to see the older 145 00:08:49,840 --> 00:08:53,040 Speaker 1: the story, the more caution I have to take in 146 00:08:54,040 --> 00:08:57,000 Speaker 1: the relay of detail and information. You know, it's the 147 00:08:57,080 --> 00:08:59,000 Speaker 1: telephone game, right, It's the game we all grew up 148 00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:01,679 Speaker 1: playing with spur a phrase into somebody's ear, and then 149 00:09:01,679 --> 00:09:03,520 Speaker 1: they turn to the next person and the next person, 150 00:09:03,559 --> 00:09:04,880 Speaker 1: and by the time you get to the end of 151 00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:09,000 Speaker 1: the chain, you see that it's altered in some way. 152 00:09:09,160 --> 00:09:12,720 Speaker 1: And you know, the older stories have that element that 153 00:09:13,480 --> 00:09:17,800 Speaker 1: time and distance from the origin point have altered the 154 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:19,200 Speaker 1: tail a little bit, so you have to go on 155 00:09:19,240 --> 00:09:22,360 Speaker 1: with a bit of caution, a little skepticism. Of course, 156 00:09:22,520 --> 00:09:25,800 Speaker 1: modern technology today has sort of eliminated that, and there 157 00:09:25,840 --> 00:09:28,400 Speaker 1: are some cultures that were a lot more like paper 158 00:09:28,440 --> 00:09:31,200 Speaker 1: record oriented than other cultures as well, and that comes 159 00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:34,920 Speaker 1: into play. But yeah, it's we live in a very 160 00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:38,320 Speaker 1: evolving world of information transportation. 161 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:41,160 Speaker 2: But luckily today we never have to deal with the 162 00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:43,360 Speaker 2: problem of misinformation. 163 00:09:44,080 --> 00:09:54,400 Speaker 1: No, no, it never happens at all. And there you go. 164 00:09:54,760 --> 00:09:57,079 Speaker 1: Thanks so much for tuning in and letting me share 165 00:09:57,080 --> 00:09:59,360 Speaker 1: that with you. If you're eager to hear the full 166 00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:04,000 Speaker 1: Cabinet of Curiosities audiobook, it's available on leading platforms like Audible, 167 00:10:04,080 --> 00:10:07,880 Speaker 1: Apple Books, and wherever else audiobooks are found. Thanks for 168 00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:10,200 Speaker 1: helping make this book launch a big success and for 169 00:10:10,280 --> 00:10:13,920 Speaker 1: letting me tell you these stories. And until next time, 170 00:10:14,200 --> 00:10:15,000 Speaker 1: stay curious.