the longest ride

Robert "Pony Bob" Haslam (1840-1912) -  was a Pony Express rider in the American Old West. He came to the United States as a teen and was hired by Bolivar Roberts, helped build the stations, and was assigned the run from Friday's Station (State Line) to Bucklands Station near Fort Churchill.In 1860 a series of events at a place called Williams Station in Nevada sparked off a battle near Pyramid Lake between Paiute Indians and whites from the area in and around Virginia City. The first battle resulted in the deaths of 76 whites.  Until Custer's defeat at Little Bighorn sixteen years later this was the largest casualty of whites at the hands of Native Americans. A second retaliatory battle resulted in the deaths of about 160    As a result of these troubles and also to protect the Pony Express, a fort was established on the Carson River along the Emigrant Trail. It was called Fort Churchill after Brigadier General Sylvester Churchill, the Inspector General of the US Army at that time. 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, Abraham Lincoln's Inaugural Address. After the Pony Express, Haslam returned as an employee of Wells, Fargo & Company, which operated its own enterprise between San Francisco and Virginia City. He later served as a Deputy United States Marshall in Salt Lake City. In his final years he worked in the Hotel Congress in Chicago. He made a personal business card 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.When he arrived at the Carson River, 60 miles away, he found that the settlers had seized all the horses at the station for use in the campaign against the Indians. He went on without a relay down the Carson River to Buckland's Station 15 miles farther 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 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, scouted for the U.S. Army well into his fifties, and later accompanied his good friend Buffalo Bill Cody on a diplomatic mission to negotiate the surrender of Chief Sitting Bull 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).When Pony Bob Haslam was buried in Chicago, 52 years had passed since thePony Express first ran. He was 1,700 miles away from his old home station.  when he died, the newspapers of the day printed glowing tributes. “‘Pony Bob’ Haslam, Who Knew No Fear, Dies in Chicago -- a man once famous throughout the United States for his courage, endurance and skill.”.
 He was born in London, England in 1840 and as a teen, immigrated to the United Sates. He made his way to Salt Lake City where he worked on a ranch and as a government messenger. He was at home on a horse. He was loyal, brave, and committed to getting the job done.

As stated his greatest ride, 120 miles in 8 hours and 20 minutes while wounded, was his most important contribution and the fastest trip ever made by the Pony Express. The message carried was Abraham Lincoln's Inaugural Address.

Although the Pony Express proved that the central/northern mail route was viable, its owner, Russell, Majors and Waddell, did not get the contract to deliver mail over the route and its brief existence ended in October, 1861. Afterwards, Haslam went to work for Wells, Fargo & Company, which operated its own enterprise between San Francisco and Virginia City, Nevada. When the telegraph reached Virginia City

Virginia City is one of the oldest established communities in Nevada. Folklore indicates that the town got its name from a man named James Finney who was nicknamed "Old Virginy". Finney was credited with discovering the Comstock Lode. His real name was James Fennimore, and he had fled his home state of Virginia after killing a man.

Like many cities and towns in the state, Virginia City was a mining boomtown; it appeared virtually overnight as a result of the Comstock Lode silver strike of 1859.

 

During its peak, Virginia City had a population of over 15,000 residents and was called the richest city in America.^[2

^] During the 20 years following the Comstock success "about $400 million was taken out of the ground." Most of the miners who came to the city were Cornishor Irish.

 In 1870, Asians were 7.6% of the population. When the Comstock Lode ended in 1898, the city's population declined sharply.

Mining operations were hindered due to extreme temperatures in the mines caused by natural hot springs. The miners would snowshoe to work and then descend into the high temperatures. This contributed to a low life expectancy.

Adolph Sutro built the Sutro Tunnel in support of the mining operations. The tunnel drained the water to the valley below (Carson City). Conceived in 1860, it was not completed until many years later, after much of the silver had been mined. From its creation in 1859 to 1875, there were five widespread fires. The 1875 fire, dubbed the Great Fire of 1875, caused $12 million in damages., Wells-Fargo sent him to Idaho to ride an express route. Finally, he moved freight between Salt Lake City and Denver.

 He also scouted for the U.S. Army, served as a Deputy United States Marshall in Salt Lake City, Utah, and accompanied his good friend Buffalo Bill Cody 

on a diplomatic mission to negotiate the surrender of Chief Sitting Bull in December, 1890.

In his final years he worked in the Congress Hotel in Chicago, Illinois where he made a personal business card with a sketch of himself as a Pony Express rider at the age of twenty and entertained

 guests with stories of his adventures. He drifted in and out of public mention but eventually died in Chicago on 

February 29, 1912 after having suffered a stroke. He was 72 years old. It was widely reported that Buffalo Bill

 paid for Pony Bob's headstone at Mount Greenwood Cemetery in Chicago; however, business records indicate it was paid for by a family member.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	2,345		—
1870	7,048		200.6%
1880	10,917		54.9%
1890	6,433		−41.1%
1900	2,695		−58.1%
1910	2,244		−16.7%
1920	1,200		−46.5%
1930	590		−50.8%
1940	500		−15.3%
1950	500		0%
1960	610		22.0%
1970	600		−1.6%
1980	600		0%
1990	920		53.3%
2000	1,500		63.0%
2010	855

Virginia City could be considered the "birthplace" of Mark Twain, as it was here in February 1863 that writer 
Samuel Clemens, then a reporter on the local Territorial Enterprise newspaper, first used his famous pen name. Virginia City historical documents state that Clemens was mugged on November 10, 1863, as he walked over the hill from the south while returning to Virginia City. The muggers relieved Clemens of his watch and his money. The robbery turns out to have been a practical joke played on Clemens by his friends, to give him material to write about. He did not appreciate the joke, but did retrieve his belongings - especially his gold watch (worth $300) and which had great sentimental value as well.^[10] Clemens mentioned the incident in his book Roughing It, (published Feb 1872) – and was still sore about it

The Virginia & Truckee Railroad's northern terminus is located at Virginia City. A project was started in 1977 to begin rebuilding one of the nations "crookedest railroads." The portion of line that has been rebuilt so far stretches south to Carson City, Nevada, and through Gold Hill. The project ran the first steam engine from Carson City on September 5, 2009. Meanwhile, other trains are pulled by historic locomotives between Virginia City and Gold Hill, attracting thousands of tourists each year.The population of Virginia City is about 1,000 people in the town. 4,000 live in Storey County. It has one elementary school (Hugh Gallagher Elementary School), one middle school (Virginia City Middle School) and one high school (Virginia City High School). Many locals work at the shops in town that cater to tourists, while others seek jobs in the surrounding cities.There is an annual hillclimb that runs from Silver City to Virginia City via Highway 341 (a truck route) that is put on jointly between the Ferrari Club of America Pacific Region and the Northern California Shelby Club. Originally the event was put on by the SCCA and took the same route. Highway 342 is now the return route for cars that have completed their runs up Highway 341. The hillclimb covers 5.2 miles (8.4 km), climbing 1,260 feet (380 m) and passing through 21 corners.Virginia City is home to several buildings and artifacts that remain from the time it was a boom town. Among them are the Bucket of Blood saloon, the old globe, the Silver Queen, and the suicide table. Occasionally a gunfight is acted out.

The Red Dog Saloon, originally the 1875 Comstock House, is located at 76 North C Street. The Red Dog Saloon gave many San Francisco rock musicians their start during the summer of 1965.