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Kansas Historical Quarterly - Errata - Volume 14

(Vol. 14 No. 4), page 456

Transcribed by lhn;
digitized with permission of the Kansas Historical Society.


Page 3, lines 1, 10 and 40, read "Kurz" instead of "Kurtz" Page 19, line 22, read "Lakin" instead of "Larned."

The authors of the article on the "Pike's Peak Express Companies" stated that "Billy" Richardson was the first rider of the Pony Express (page 53, lines 3, 4 and 18). This was based on a story in a contemporary newspaper (The Weekly West, St. Joseph, April 7, 1860) which they quoted, and on an article in the Missouri Historical Review, Columbia, v. 17 (1923), pp. 435-439. The authors also stated (p. 53, Footnote 358) that the honor of making the first ride was sometimes credited to Johnny Frey.

Recently a clipping from the St. Joseph News-Press, October 31, 1941, was brought to the attention of the editors. It was titled "Uncle Billy Richardson, 91 Today, Disclaims Fame," and reads in part:

"In W. B. Richardson's own words, he still enjoys the fact that a writer `billed me as the first Pony Express rider, and everyone knows that's not so.' Uncle Billy is ninety-one years old today. The Pony Express chapter in his life is one of his favorite reminiscenses. `Johnny Frye [sic] was the first rider,' he said, `but I'll tell you what caused the confusion.

" 'My brother, Paul Couburn, was the manager for the company. That made me a big shot around the station.'

"Having a pretty fine Indian pony, young Billy proposed to accompany Johnny Frye to the ferry when he started his historic ride. When his brother brought the mail sack from the building, he mistakenly threw it on young Billy's pony, instead of Johnny Frye's, and off the two rode. The mail was transferred at the ferry, however, and the credit of being the first rider rightfully belongs to Frye. . ." ."

Sheffield Ingalls' History of Atchison County, Kansas (Lawrence, 1916), states that the Missouri river was bridged at Atchison in July, 1875, and not in 1860 as reported in Footnote 480, lines 4 and 5, p. 80.

Pages 84, 85, line 7 of Footnote 495, read "Holladay" instead of "Hockaday." Page 261, line 19, read "D. W." Houston instead of "S. D" Houston.

Page 272, lines 3 and 4, read N. L. "Prentis," instead of "Prentice."