Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

192 results found

pony express

(Encyclopedia)pony express, in U.S. history, relay mail service. At its inception in Apr., 1860, the pony express operated between St. Joseph, Mo., the western end of a telegraph line, and Sacramento, Calif. Riders...

pony

(Encyclopedia)pony, small horse, officially any horse under 14.2 hands (58 in./145 cm) high. Most ponies are of Celtic origin. They are noted for their extreme hardiness and gentle natures. Some ponies are only 26 ...

Shetland pony

(Encyclopedia)Shetland pony, smallest breed of horse, originating in the Shetland Islands some 200 mi (322 km) N of Scotland. The Shetland resembles a miniature draft horse and has long been used for working purpos...

Welsh pony

(Encyclopedia)Welsh pony, breed of small horse of European origin. First bred primarily in Saxony, it later became localized in Wales. Although the breed is of ancient type, it presently bears traces of the Arabian...

Saint Joseph, cities, United States

(Encyclopedia)Saint Joseph sānt jōˈzəf [key]. 1 City (1990 pop. 9,214), seat of Berrien co., SW Mich., a port on Lake Michigan at the mouth of the St. Joseph River across from Benton Harbor; inc. 1834. Located ...

South Pass

(Encyclopedia)South Pass, broad, level valley (alt. c.7,550 ft/2,301 m), SW Wyo., cutting across the Rocky Mts. It was used by trappers and explorers before Jedediah Smith inaugurated its use as a route for settler...

Tooele

(Encyclopedia)Tooele to͞oĭlˈə [key], city (1990 pop. 13,887), seat of Tooele co., N central Utah, a rapidly growing suburb of Salt Lake City, in a farm area; inc. 1853. A major source of employment is the Tooel...

Calamity Jane

(Encyclopedia)Calamity Jane kəlămˈĭtē jānˈ [key], c.1852–1903, American frontier character, b. Princeton, Mo. Her real name was Martha Jane Canary, and the origin of her nickname is obscure. Little is know...

Buffalo Bill

(Encyclopedia)Buffalo Bill, 1846–1917, American plainsman, scout, and showman, b. near Davenport, Iowa. His real name was William Frederick Cody. His family moved (1854) to Kansas, and after the death of his fath...

Fargo, William George

(Encyclopedia)Fargo, William George, 1818–81, American pioneer expressman, b. Pompey, N.Y. He had been successively a postrider, freight agent, messenger, and resident agent (1843) for an express company in Buffa...