text:
Pony Express

The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company.

During its 18 months of operation beginning in 1860, the Pony Express reduced the time for messages to travel between the east and west US coast to about 10 days. It became the west's most direct means of east–west communication before the first transcontinental telegraph was established (October 24, 1861), and was vital for tying the new state of California with the rest of the United States.

Despite a heavy subsidy, the Pony Express was not a financial success and went bankrupt in 18 months, when a faster telegraph service was established. Nevertheless, it demonstrated that a unified transcontinental system of communications could be established and operated year-round. When replaced by the telegraph, the Pony Express quickly became romanticized and became part of the lore of the Old West. Its reliance on the ability and endurance of hardy riders and fast horses was seen as evidence of rugged American individualism of the frontier times.

Inception and founding

The idea of having a fast mail route to the Pacific Coast was prompted largely by California's newfound prominence and its rapidly growing population. After gold was discovered there in 1848, thousands of prospectors, investors, and businessmen made their way to California, at that time a new territory of the U.S. By 1850, California entered the Union as a free state. By 1860, the population had grown to 380,000. The prospect of California and its national role became the source of bitter partisan debate in Congress. The demand for a faster way to get the mail and other communications to and from this westernmost state became even greater as the American Civil War approached.

William Russell, Alexander Majors, and William B. Waddell were the three founders of the Pony Express. They were already in the freighting and drayage business. At the peak of the operations, they employed 6,000 men, owned 75,000 oxen, thousands of wagons, and warehouses, plus a sawmill, a meatpacking plant, a bank, and an insurance company.

Russell was a prominent businessman, well respected among his peers and the community. Waddell was co-owner of the firm Morehead, Waddell & Co. In 1859, C.R. Morehead took the proposal for the Pony Express to President Buchanan. After Morehead was bought out and moved to Leavenworth to enter the mercantile business, Waddell merged his company with Russell's, changing the name to Waddell & Russell. In 1855, they took on a new partner, Alexander Majors, and founded the company of Russell, Majors & Waddell. They held government contracts for delivering army supplies to the western frontier, and Russell had a similar idea for contracts with the U.S. government for fast mail delivery.

By using a short route and mounted riders rather than traditional stagecoaches, they proposed to establish a fast mail service between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California, with letters delivered in 10 days, which many said was impossible. The initial price was set at $5 per 1/2 oz, then $2.50, and by July 1861 to $1. The initial price was 250 times the price of mail through the normal mail service, which was $0.02. The founders of the Pony Express hoped to win an exclusive government mail contract, but that did not come about.

Russell, Majors, and Waddell organized and put together the Pony Express in two months in the winter of 1860. The undertaking assembled 80 riders, 184 stations, 400 horses, and several hundred personnel during January and February 1861.

Majors was a religious man and resolved "by the help of God" to overcome all difficulties. He presented each rider with a Pony Express special-edition Bible and required this oath, which they were also required to sign.

"I, ..., do hereby swear, before the Great and Living God, that during my engagement, and while I am an employee of Russell, Majors, and Waddell, I will, under no circumstances, use profane language, that I will drink no intoxicating liquors, that I will not quarrel or fight with any other employee of the firm, and that in every respect I will conduct myself honestly, be faithful to my duties, and so direct all my acts as to win the confidence of my employers, so help me God.'"

Operation

In 1860, the roughly 186 Pony Express stations were about 10 to 15 mi apart along the Pony Express route. At each station, the express rider would change to a fresh horse, get a bite to eat, and would only take the mail pouch called a mochila (from the Spanish for pouch or backpack) with him.

The employers stressed the importance of the pouch. They often said that, if it came to be, the horse and rider should perish before the mochila did. The mochila was thrown over the saddle and held in place by the weight of the rider sitting on it. Each corner had a cantina, or pocket. Bundles of mail were placed in these cantinas, which were padlocked for safety. The mochila could hold 20 lb of mail along with the 20 lb of material carried on the horse. Eventually, everything except one revolver and a water sack was removed, allowing for a total of 165 lb on the horse's back. Riders, who could not weigh over 125 lb, changed about every 75 –, and rode day and night. In emergencies, a given rider might ride two stages back to back, over 20 hours on a quickly moving horse.

Whether riders tried crossing the Sierra Nevada in winter is unknown, but they certainly crossed central Nevada. By 1860, a telegraph station was in Carson City, Nevada Territory. The riders received $125 a month as pay. As a comparison, the wage for unskilled labor at the time was about $0.43–$1 per day, and for semi-skilled laborers like bricklayers and carpenters was usually less than $2 per day.

Alexander Majors, one of the founders of the Pony Express, had acquired more than 400 horses for the project. He selected horses from around the west, paying an average of $200. These averaged about high and  900 lb each; thus, the name pony was appropriate, even if not strictly correct in all cases.

Pony Express route
Beginning at St. Joseph, Missouri, the approximately 1900 mi route roughly followed the Oregon and California trails to Fort Bridger in Wyoming, and then the Mormon Trail (known as the Hastings Cutoff) to Salt Lake City, Utah. From there, it followed the Central Nevada Route to Carson City, Nevada Territory, before passing over the Sierra and reaching to Sacramento, California. From there mail was transferred to boats to go downriver to San Francisco.

The route started at St. Joseph, Missouri, on the Missouri River, and then followed what is modern-day U.S. Highway 36 (the Pony Express Highway) to Marysville, Kansas, where it turned northwest following Little Blue River to Fort Kearny in Nebraska. Through Nebraska, it followed the Great Platte River Road, cutting through Gothenburg, Nebraska, clipping the edge of Colorado at Julesburg; and passing Courthouse Rock, Chimney Rock, and Scotts Bluff, before arriving first at Fort Laramie and then Fort Caspar (Platte Bridge Station) in Wyoming. From there, it followed the Sweetwater River, passing Independence Rock, Devil's Gate, and Split Rock, through South Pass to Fort Bridger and then south to Salt Lake City, Utah. From Salt Lake City, it generally followed the Central Nevada Route blazed in 1859 by Captain James H. Simpson of the Corps of Topographical Engineers. This route roughly follows today's US 50 across Nevada and Utah. It crossed the Great Basin, the Utah-Nevada Desert, and the Sierra Nevada near Lake Tahoe before arriving in Sacramento. Mail was transferred and sent by steamer down the Sacramento River to San Francisco. On a few instances when the steamer was missed, riders took the mail by horseback to Oakland, California.

Stations
Along the long and arduous route used by the Pony Express, 190 stations were used. The stations and station keepers were essential to the successful, timely, and smooth operation of the Pony Express mail system. The stations were often fashioned out of existing structures, several of them located in military forts, while others were built anew in remote areas where living conditions were basic. The route was divided into five divisions. To maintain the rigid schedule, 157 relay stations were located from 5 to 25 mi apart, as the terrain would allow. At each "swing station", riders would exchange their tired mounts for fresh ones, while "home stations" provided room and board for the riders between runs. This technique allowed the mail to be moved across the continent in record time. Each rider rode about 75 mi per day.

Division One: Stations between St. Joseph and Fort Kearney

Missouri:

1. St. Joseph Station

Kansas:

2. Troy Station

3. Lewis Station

4. Kennekuk (Kinnekuk) Station

5. Kickapoo, Goteschall Station

6. Log Chain Station

7. Seneca Station

8. Ash Point, Laramie Creek Station

9. Guittard Station (aka Gantard's, Guttard)

10. Marysville Station

11. Cottonwood, Hollenberg Station

12. Atchison Station

13. Lancaster Station

Nebraska:

14. Rock House Station

15. Rock Creek Station

16. Virginia City

17. Big Sandy Station

18. Millersville, Thompson's Station

19. Kiowa Station

20. Little Blue, Oak Grove Station

21. Liberty Farm Station

22. Spring Ranch, Lone Tree Station

23. Thirty-two Mile Creek Station

24. Sand Hill, Summit Station

25. Hook's, Kearney, Valley Station

26. Fort Kearney

Division Two: Stations between Fort Kearney and Horseshoe Creek

Nebraska (continued):

27. Seventeen Mile, Platte Station

28. Garden Station

29. Plum Creek Station

30. Willow Island, Willow Bend Station

31. Cold Water, Midway Ranch Station

32. Gilman's Station

33. Machette's Station (Gothenburg)

34. Cottonwood Springs Station

35. Cold Springs Station

36. Fremont Springs Station

37. O'Fallon's Bluff, Dansey's/Elkhorn Station

38. Alkali Lake Station

39. Gill's, Sand Hill Station

40. Diamond Springs Station

41. Beauvais Ranch Station

Colorado:

42. Frontz's/South Platte Station

43. Julesburg Station

Nebraska (continued):

44. Nine Mile Station

45. Pole Creek No. 2 Station

46. Pole Creek No. 3 Station

47. Midway Station

48. Mud Springs Station

49. Court House (Rock) Station

50. Chimney Rock Station

51. Ficklin's Springs Station

52. Scott's Bluff(s) Station

53. Horse Creek Station

Wyoming:

54. Cold Springs, Spring Ranch/Torrington Station

55. Verdling's, Bordeaux, Bedeau's Ranch/Fort Benard Station

56. Fort Laramie Station

57. Nine Mile, Sand Point, Ward's, Central Star Station

58. Cottonwood Station

59. Horseshoe Creek, Horseshoe Station

Division Three: Stations between Horseshoe Creek and Salt Lake City

Wyoming (continued) :

60. Elk Horn Station

61. La Bonte Station

62. Bed Tick Station

63. Lapierelle/La Prele Station

64. Box Elder (Creek) Station

65. Deer Creek Station

66. Little Muddy Station

67. Bridger Station

68. Fort Caspar, Platte Bridge/North Platte Station

69. Red Butte (s) Station

70. Willow Springs Station

71. Horse, Greesewood Creek Station

72. Sweetwater Station

73. Devil's Gate Station

74. Plant's, Plante Station

75. Split Rock Station

76. Three Crossings Station

77. Ice Slough, Ice Springs Station

78. Warm Springs Station

79. Rocky Ridge, St. Mary's Station

80. Rock Creek Station

81. Upper Sweetwater, South Pass Station

82. Pacific Springs Station

83. Dry Sandy Station

84. Little Sandy Creek Station

85. Big Sandy Station

86. Big Timber Station

87. Green River Station (crossing Station)

88. Michael Martin's Station

89. Ham's Fork Station

90. Church Buttes Station

91. Millersville Station

92. Fort Bridger

93. Muddy Creek Station

94. Quaking Asp, Aspen, Springs Station

95. Bear River Station

Utah:

96. The Needles, Needle Rock(s) Station

97. (Head of) Echo Canyon Station

98. Halfway Station

99. Weber Station

100. Brimville Emergency Station

101. Carson House Station

102. East Canyon Station

103. Wheaton Springs Station

104. Mountain Dell/Dale Station

105. Salt Lake City Station

Division Four: Stations between Salt Lake City and Robert's Creek

Utah (continued):

106. Trader's Rest, Traveler's Rest Station

107. Rockwell's Station (Hot Springs Hotel and Brewery)

108. Dugout, Joe's Dugout Station

109. Camp Floyd, Fairfield Station

110. Pass, East Rush Valley Station

111. Rush Valley, Faust's Station

112. Point Lookout, Lookout Pass Station

113. Government Creek Station

114. Simpson's Springs, Egan's Springs Station

115. River Bed Station

116. Dugway Station

117. Black Rock Station

118. Fish Springs Station

119. Boyd's Station

120. Willow Springs Station

121. Willow Creek Station

122. Canyon, Burnt Station

123. Deep Creek Station

Nevada:

124. Prairie Gate, Eight Mile Station

125. Antelope Springs Station

126. Spring Valley Station

127. Schell Creek Station

128. Egan's Canyon, Egan's Station

129. Bates', Butte Station

130. Mountain Spring(s) Station

131. Ruby Valley Station

132. Jacob's Well Station

133. Diamond Springs Station

134. Sulphur Springs Station

135. Robert's Creek Station

Division Five: Stations between Roberts Creek and Sacramento

Nevada (continued): 136. Camp Station, Grub(b)s Well Station

137. Dry Creek Station

138. Simpson Park Station

139. Reese River, Jacob's Spring Station

140. Dry Wells Station

141. Smith's Creek Station

142. Castle Rock Station

143. Edward's Creek Station

144. Cold Springs, East Gate Station

145. Middle Gate Station

146. West Gate Station

147. Sand Springs Station

148. Sand Hill Station

149. Carson Sink Station

150. Williams Station

151. Desert, Hooten Wells Station

152. Buckland's Station

153. Fort Churchill Station

154. Fairview Station

155. Mountain Well Station

156. Stillwater Station

157. Old River Station

158. Bisby's Station

159. Nevada Station

160. Ragtown Station

161. Desert Wells Station

162. Miller's, Reed's Station

163. Dayton Station

164. Carson City Station

165. Genoa Station

166. Friday's, Lakeside Station

California:

167. Woodford's Station

168. Fountain Place Station

169. Yank's Station

170. Strawberry Station

171. Webster's, Sugar Loaf House Station

172. Moss/Moore, Riverton Station

173. Sportsman's Hall Station

174. Placerville Station

175. El Dorado, Nevada House/Mud Springs Station

176. Mormon Tavern, Sunrise House Station

177. Fifteen Mile House Station

178. Five Mile House Station

179. Pleasant Grove House Station

180. Duroc Station

181. Folsom Station

182. Sacramento Station

183. Benicia Station

184. Martinez Station

185. Oakland Station

186. San Francisco Station

Westbound

The first westbound Pony Express trip left St. Joseph on April 3, 1860, and arrived 10 days later in Sacramento, California, on April 14. These letters were sent under cover from the east to St. Joseph, and never directly entered the U.S. mail system. Today, only a single letter is known to exist from the inaugural westbound trip from St. Joseph to Sacramento. It was delivered in an envelope embossed with postage (depicted below) that was first issued by the U.S. Post Office in 1855.

The messenger delivering the mochila from New York and Washington, DC, missed a connection in Detroit and arrived in Hannibal, Missouri, two hours late. The railroad cleared the track and dispatched a special locomotive called Missouri with a one-car train to make the 206 mi trek across Missouri in a record 4 hours and 51 minutes, an average of 40 mph. It arrived at Olive and 8th Street, a few blocks from the company's new headquarters in a hotel at Patee House at 12th and Penn Street, St. Joseph, and the company's nearby stables on Penn Street. The first pouch contained 49 letters, five private telegrams, and some papers for San Francisco and intermediate points.

St. Joseph Mayor M. Jeff Thompson, William H. Russell, and Alexander Majors gave speeches before the mochila was handed off. The ride began at about 7:15 pm. The St. Joseph Gazette was the only newspaper included in the bag.

The identity of the first rider has long been in dispute. The St. Joseph Weekly West (April 4, 1860) reported Johnson William Richardson was the first rider. Johnny Fry is credited in some sources as the rider. Nonetheless, the first westbound rider carried the pouch across the Missouri River ferry to Elwood, Kansas. The first horse-ridden leg of the Express was only about 1/2 mi from the Express stables/railroad area to the Missouri River ferry at the foot of Jules Street. Reports indicated that horse and rider crossed the river. In later rides, the courier crossed the river without a horse and picked up his mount at a stable on the other side.

The first westbound mochila reached Sacramento, on April 14, at 1:00 am.

Eastbound
The first eastbound Pony Express trip left Sacramento on April 3, 1860, and arrived at its destination 10 days later in St. Joseph, Missouri. From St. Joseph, letters were placed in the U.S. mails for delivery to eastern destinations. Only two letters are known to exist from the inaugural eastbound trip.

Mail
As the Pony Express mail service existed only briefly in 1860 and 1861, few examples of Pony Express mail survive. Contributing to the scarcity of Pony Express mail is that the cost to send a 1/2 oz letter was $5.00 at the beginning (, or 2$1/2$ days of semi-skilled labor ). By the end of the Pony Express, the price had dropped to $1.00 per $1/2$ ounce but even that was considered expensive to mail one letter. Only 250 known examples of Pony Express mail remain.

Postmarks
Various postmarks were added to the mail to be carried by the Pony Express at the point of departure.

Fastest mail service
William Russell, senior partner of Russell, Majors, and Waddell, and one of the biggest investors in the Pony Express, used the 1860 presidential election, of Abraham Lincoln, as a way to promote the Pony Express and how fast it could deliver the U.S. Mail. This was an important event because just four years earlier, in the prior election, it took months to get news of James Buchanan's win. The election of Lincoln was important because the newly-named president would have to take the country into the Civil War. Prior to the election, Russell hired extra riders to ensure that fresh riders and relay horses were available along the route. On November 7, 1860, a Pony Express rider departed Fort Kearny, Nebraska Territory (the end of the eastern telegraph line) with the election results. Riders briskly traversed the route, over snow-covered trails to Fort Churchill, Nevada Territory (the end of the western telegraph line). California's newspapers received word of Lincoln's election only 7 days and 17 hours after the East Coast papers, an "unrivaled feat at the time".

Attacks

The Paiute War was a minor series of raids and ambushes initiated by American expansion into the territory of the Paiute Indian tribe in Nevada, which resulted in the disruption of mail services of the Pony Express. It took place from May through June 1860, though sporadic violence continued for a period afterward. In the brief history of the Pony Express, only once did the mail not go through. After completing eight weekly trips from both Sacramento and Saint Joseph, the Pony Express was forced to suspend mail services because of the outbreak of the Paiute Indian War in May 1860.

About 6,000 Paiutes in Nevada had suffered during a winter of fierce blizzards that year. By spring, the whole tribe was ready to embark on a war, except for the Paiute chief named Numaga. For three days, Numaga fasted and argued for peace. Meanwhile, a raiding party attacked Williams Station, a Pony Express station located on the then Carson River under present-day Lake Lahontan (reservoir), not to be confused with the large endorheic Pleistocene lake of the same name (Lake Lahontan). One account says the raid was a deliberate attempt to provoke war. Another says the raiders had heard that men at the station had kidnapped two Paiute women, and fighting broke out when they went to investigate and free the women. Either way, the war party killed five men and the station was burned.

During the following weeks, other isolated incidents occurred when whites in the Paiute country were ambushed and killed. The Pony Express was a special target. Seven other express stations were also attacked; 16 employees were killed, and around 150 express horses were either stolen or driven off. Those who worked at the stations had no one around, possibly for miles, to help defend against the attacks, making working at the stations one of the deadliest jobs in the whole operation. The Paiute War cost the Pony Express company about $75,000 in livestock and station equipment, not to mention the loss of life. In June of that year, the Paiute uprising had been ended through the intervention of U.S. troops, after which four delayed mail shipments from the East were finally brought to San Francisco on June 25, 1860.

During this brief war, one Pony Express mailing, which left San Francisco on July 21, 1860, did not immediately reach its destination. That mail pouch (mochila) did not reach St. Joseph and subsequently New York until almost two years later.

Famous riders
In 1860, riding for the Pony Express was difficult work – riders had to be tough and lightweight. An advertisement allegedly read, "Wanted: Young, skinny, wiry fellows not over eighteen. Must be expert riders, willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred," but one historian, Joseph Nardone, claims that it is a hoax (dating no earlier than 1902), as no one has found the ad in contemporary newspaper archives.

The Pony Express had an estimated 80 riders traveling east or west along the route at any given time. In addition, about 400 other employees were used, including station keepers, stock tenders, and route superintendents. Many young men applied; Waddell and Majors could have easily hired riders at low rates, but instead offered $100 a month – a handsome sum for that time. Author Mark Twain described the riders in his travel memoir Roughing It as: "... usually a little bit of a man". Though the riders were small, lightweight, generally teenaged boys, they came to be seen as heroes of the American West. There was no systematic list of riders kept by the company, but a partial list has been compiled by Raymond and Nancy Settle in their Saddles & Spurs (1972).

James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok never worked as a rider and only worked as a stocktender for the Pony Express.

First riders

The identity of the first westbound rider to depart St. Joseph has been disputed, but currently most historians have narrowed it down to either Johnny Fry or Billy Richardson. Both Expressmen were hired at St. Joseph for A. E. Lewis' Division, which ran from St. Joseph to Seneca, Kansas, a distance of 80 mi. They covered at an average speed of 12+1/2 mph, including all stops. Before the mail pouch was delivered to the first rider on April 3, 1860, time was taken out for ceremonies and several speeches. First, Mayor M. Jeff Thompson gave a brief speech on the significance of the event for St. Joseph. Then William H. Russell and Alexander Majors addressed the gala crowd about how the Pony Express was just a "precursor" to the construction of a transcontinental railroad. At the conclusion of all the speeches, around 7:15 pm, Russell turned the mail pouch over to the first rider. A cannon fired, the large assembled crowd cheered, and the rider dashed to the landing at the foot of Jules Street, where the ferry boat Denver, under a full head of steam, alerted by the signal cannon, waited to carry the horse and rider across the Missouri River to Elwood, Kansas Territory. On April 9 at 6:45 pm, the first rider from the east reached Salt Lake City, Utah. Then, on April 12, the mail pouch reached Carson City, Nevada Territory, at 2:30 pm. The riders raced over the Sierra Nevada, through Placerville, California, and on to Sacramento. Around midnight on April 14, 1860, the first mail pouch was delivered by the Pony Express to San Francisco. With it was a letter of congratulations from President Buchanan to California Governor Downey along with other official government communications, newspapers from New York, Chicago, and St. Louis, and other important mail to banks and commercial houses in San Francisco. In all, 85 pieces of mail were delivered on this first trip.

James Randall is credited as "the first eastbound rider" from the San Francisco Alta telegraph office, since he was on the steamship Antelope to go to Sacramento. Mail for the Pony Express left San Francisco at 4:00 pm, carried by horse and rider to the waterfront, and then on by steamboat to Sacramento, where it was picked up by the Pony Express rider. At 2:45 am, William (Sam) Hamilton was the first Pony Express rider to begin the journey from Sacramento. He rode all the way to Sportsman Hall Station, where he gave his mochila filled with mail to Warren Upson. A California Registered Historical Landmark plaque at the site reads:

"This was the site of Sportsman's Hall, also known as the Twelve-Mile House. The hotel was operated in the late 1850s and 1860s by John and James Blair. A stopping place for stages and teams of the Comstock, it became a relay station of the central overland Pony Express. Here, at 7:40 am, April 4, 1860, Pony rider William (Sam) Hamilton, riding in from Placerville, handed the Express mail to Warren Upson who, two minutes later, sped on his way eastward."

William Cody
Probably more than any other rider in the Pony Express, William Cody (better known as Buffalo Bill) epitomizes the legend and the folklore, be it fact or fiction, of the Pony Express. Numerous stories have been told of young Cody's adventures as a Pony Express rider, though his accounts may have been fabricated or exaggerated. At age 15, Cody was on his way west to California when he met Pony Express agents along the way and signed on with the company. Cody helped in the construction of several way-stations. Thereafter, he was employed as a rider and was given a short 45 mi delivery run from the township of Julesburg, which lay to the west. After some months, he was transferred to Slade's Division in Wyoming, where he is said to have made the longest nonstop ride from Red Buttes Station to Rocky Ridge Station and back when he found that his relief rider had been killed. This trail of 322 mi was completed in 21 hours and 40 minutes, and 21 horses were required. On one occasion when he is said to have carried mail, he unintentionally ran into an Indian war party, but managed to escape. Cody was present for many significant chapters in early western history, including the gold rush, the building of the railroads, and cattle herding on the Great Plains. A career as a scout for the Army under General Phillip Sheridan following the Civil War earned him his nickname and established his notoriety as a frontiersman.

Robert Haslam
"Pony Bob" Haslam was among the most brave, resourceful, and best-known riders of the Pony Express. He was born in January 1840 in London, United Kingdom, and came to the United States as a teenager. Haslam was hired by Bolivar Roberts, helped build the stations, and was given the mail run from Friday's Station at Lake Tahoe to Buckland's Station near Fort Churchill, 75 mi to the east.

His greatest ride, 120 mi in 8 hours and 20 minutes while wounded, was an important contribution to the fastest trip ever made by the Pony Express. The mail carried Lincoln's inaugural address. Indian problems in 1860 led to Haslam's record-breaking ride. He had received the eastbound mail (probably the May 10 mail from San Francisco) at Friday's Station. When he reached 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 mi without a rest. After a rest of 9 hours, he retraced his route with the westbound mail, where at Cold Springs, he found that Indians had raided the place, killing the station keeper and running off all of the stock. On the ride, he was shot through the jaw with an Indian arrow, losing three teeth. Finally, he reached Buckland's Station, making the 380 mi round trip the longest on record.

Pony Bob continued to work as a rider for Wells Fargo and Company after the Civil War, scouted for the U.S. Army well into his 50s, 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 died in Chicago during the winter of 1912 (age 72) in deep poverty after suffering a stroke. Buffalo Bill paid for his friend's headstone at Mount Greenwood Cemetery (111 Street and Sacramento) on Chicago's far south side.

Jack Keetley
Jack Keetley was hired by A. E. Lewis for his division at the age of 19 and put on the run from Marysville to Big Sandy. He was one of those who rode for the Pony Express during the entire 19 months of its existence.

Jack Keetley's longest ride, upon which he doubled back for another rider, ended at Seneca, where he was taken from the saddle sound asleep. He had ridden 340 mi in 31 hours without stopping to rest or eat. After the Pony Express was disbanded, Keetley went to Salt Lake City, where he engaged in mining. He died there on October 12, 1912, where he was also buried.

In 1907, Keetley wrote the following letter (excerpt):

"Alex Carlyle was the first man to ride the Pony Express out of St. Joe. He was a nephew of the superintendent of the stage line to Denver, called the 'Pike's Peak Express'. The superintendent's name was Ben Ficklin. Carlyle was a consumptive, and could not stand the hardships, and retired after about two months' trial, and died within about six months after retiring. John Frye was the second rider, and I was the third, and Gus Cliff was the fourth.

I made the longest ride without a stop, only to change horses. It was said to be 300 miles and was done a few minutes inside of twenty-four hours. I do not vouch for the distance being correct, as I only have it from the division superintendent, A.E. Lewis, who said that the distance given was taken by his English roadometer which was attached to the front wheel of his buggy which he used to travel over his division with, and which was from St. Joe to Fort Kearney."

Billy Tate
Billy Tate was a 14-year-old Pony Express rider who rode the express trail in Nevada near Ruby Valley. During the Paiute uprising of 1860, he was chased by a band of Paiute Indians on horseback and was forced to retreat into the hills behind some big rocks, where he killed seven of his assailants in a shoot-out before being killed himself. His body was found riddled with arrows, but was not scalped, a sign that the Paiutes honored their enemy.

Major Howard Egan
Egan emigrated to the United States from Ireland with his parents in the early 1830s. While living in Massachusetts, he joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (also known as "Mormons"). He was with the Pioneer Party of 1847 that journeyed to the west to modern day Salt Lake City, Utah. At the start of the Pony Express, he was appointed Superintendent of the Division from Salt Lake City to Robert's Creek which is in present day Nevada. Egan filled in when others couldn't ride. After the Pony Express, he ranched and became involved with the court system in Utah.

Horses

At the west end of the Pony Express route in California, W.W. Finney purchased 100 head of short-coupled stock called "California horses", while A.B. Miller purchased another 200 native ponies in and around the Great Salt Lake Valley. The horses were ridden quickly between stations, an average distance of 15 mi, and then were relieved and a fresh horse was exchanged for the one that just arrived from its strenuous run.

During his route of 80 to 100 mi, a Pony Express rider would change horses 8 to 10 times. The horses were ridden at a fast trot, canter, or gallop, around 10 to 15 mph and at times they were driven to full gallop at speeds up to 25 mph. Horses of the Pony Express were purchased in Missouri, Iowa, California, and some western U.S. territories.

The various types of horses ridden by riders of the Pony Express included Morgans and thoroughbreds, which were often used on the eastern end of the trail. Mustangs were often used on the western (more rugged) end of the mail route.

Saddle
In 1844, years before the Pony Express came to St. Joseph, Israel Landis opened a small saddle and harness shop there. His business expanded as the town grew, and when the Pony Express came to town, Landis was the ideal candidate to produce saddles for the newly founded Pony Express. Because Pony Express riders rode their horses at a quick pace over a distance of 10 mi or more between stations, every consideration was made to reduce the overall weight the horse had to carry. To help reduce this load, special lightweight saddles were designed and crafted. Using less leather and fewer metallic and wood components, they fashioned a saddle that was similar in design to the regular stock saddle generally in use in the West at that time.

The mail pouch was a separate component to the saddle that made the Pony Express unique. Standard mail pouches for horses were never used because of their size and shape, as detaching and attaching it from one saddle to the other was time-consuming, causing undue delay in changing mounts. With many stops to make, the delayed time at each station would accumulate to appreciable proportions. To get around this difficulty, a mochila (a covering of leather) was thrown over the saddle. The saddle horn and cantle projected through holes that were specially cut to size in the mochila. Attached to the broad leather skirt of the mochila were four cantinas, or box-shaped hard leather compartments, where letters were carried on the journey.

Closing
During its brief time in operation, the Pony Express delivered about 35,000 letters between St. Joseph and Sacramento. Although the Pony Express proved that the central/northern mail route was viable, Russell, Majors, and Waddell did not get the contract to deliver mail over the route. The contract was instead awarded to Jeremy Dehut in March 1861, who had taken over the southern, congressionally favored Butterfield Overland Mail Stage Line. The so-called "Stagecoach King", Ben Holladay, acquired the Russell, Majors, and Waddell stations for his stagecoaches.

Shortly after the contract was awarded, the start of the American Civil War caused the stage line to cease operation. From March 1861, the Pony Express ran mail only between Salt Lake City and Sacramento. The Pony Express announced its closure on October 26, 1861, two days after the transcontinental telegraph reached Salt Lake City and connected Omaha, Nebraska, and Sacramento. Other telegraph lines connected points along the line and other cities on the east and west coasts.

Despite the subsidy, the Pony Express was a financial failure. It grossed $90,000 and lost $200,000.

In 1866, after the Civil War was over, Holladay sold the Pony Express assets along with the remnants of the Butterfield Stage to Wells Fargo for $1.5 million.

Postage stamps
In 1869, the United States Post Office issued the first U.S. postage stamp to depict an actual historic event, and the subject chosen was the Pony Express. Until then, only the faces of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Andrew Jackson were found on the face of U.S. postage. Sometimes mistaken for an actual stamp used by the Pony Express, the "Pony Express Stamp" issue was released in 1869 (8 years after the Pony Express service had ended) to honor the men who rode the long and sometimes dangerous journeys and to commemorate the service they provided for the nation. In 1940 and 1960, commemorative stamps were issued for the 80th and 100th anniversaries of the Pony Express, respectively.

Historical research
The foundation of accountable Pony Express history rests in the few tangible areas where records, papers, letters, and mailings have yielded the most historical evidence. Until the 1950s, most of what was known about the short-lived Pony Express was the product of a few accounts, hearsay, and folklore, generally true in their overall aspects, but lacking in verification in many areas for those who wanted to explore the history surrounding the founders, the various riders, and station keepers, or who were interested in stations or forts along the Pony Express route.

The most complete books on the Pony Express are The Story of the Pony Express by Raymond and Mary Settle and Saddles and Spurs by Roy Bloss. Settle's account is unique, as he was the first writer and historical researcher to make use of Pony Express founder William B. Waddell's papers, now in a collection at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. Mr. Settle wrote in the mid-1950s. Mr. Bloss was a writer for the Pony Express Centennial. While Settle's work was published generally without his annotations and notes, the writer's background here is unique and Settle does have an excellent bibliography. When Settle prepared to publish his well-researched account, he had a good volume of footnotes, citations prepared, but the editors chose not to use most of them. Instead, they opted for a less expensive approach to print and publish and released an accurate, but simplified account. Settle was not pleased with this new and sudden development, as he put much time and effort into the annotations. Yet, the account Settle wrote was and is a definitive one and is considered the best account on the history of the Pony Express among many historians.

National Historic Trail
The Pony Express route was designated the Pony Express National Historic Trail August 3, 1992, by an act of Congress. Its route goes through eight states and includes substantial sections of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management in California, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming.

The public can auto-tour the route, visit interpretive sites and museums, and hike, bike, or horseback ride various trail segments. Sites open to public visitation along the trail include the Sand Mountain Recreation Area in Nevada; automobile access to a backcountry byway (the Pony Express Trail National Back Country Byway) along the route itself, Boyd Station and Simpson Springs Campground in Utah; and the Little Sandy Crossing in Wyoming. In total, approximately 120 historic sites along the trail may eventually be open to the public, including 50 stations or station ruins.

The National Pony Express Association is a nonprofit, volunteer-led historical organization. Its purpose is to preserve the original Pony Express trail and to continue the memory and importance of Pony Express in American history in partnership with the National Park Service, Pony Express Trail Association, and Oregon-California Trails Association.

Other commemorations
From 1866 until 1889, the Pony Express logo was used by stagecoach and freight company Wells Fargo, which provided secure mail service. Wells Fargo used the Pony Express logo for its guard and armored-car services. The logo continued to be used when other companies took over the security business into the 1990s. Since 2001, the Pony Express logo is no longer used for security businesses, since the business has been sold.

In June 2006, the United States Postal Service announced it had trademarked "Pony Express" along with "Air Mail".

April 3, 2010 was the Pony Express's 150th anniversary. Located in St. Joseph, Missouri, the Patee House Museum, which was the Pony Express's headquarters, hosted events celebrating the anniversary.

On April 14, 2015, Google released a playable doodle game celebrating their 155th anniversary.

In popular culture
The continued remembrance and popularity of the Pony Express can be linked to Buffalo Bill Cody, his autobiographies, and his Wild West Show. The first book dedicated solely to the Pony Express was not published until 1900. However, in his first autobiography, published in 1879, Cody claims to have been an Express rider. While this claim has recently come under dispute, his show became the "primary keeper of the pony legend" when it premiered as a scene in the Wild West Show.

Film

 * The Pony Express (1925)
 * Winds of the Wasteland(1936)
 * Frontier Pony Express (1939)
 * "Pony Express Days" (short) (1940)
 * Pony Post (1940)
 * Saddle Silly (1941)
 * Plainsman and the Lady (1946)
 * Pony Express (1953)
 * Last of the Pony Riders (1953)
 * The Pony Express Rider (1976)
 * Pony Express Rider (1996)
 * Spirit of the Pony Express (2012)

Television
Comic books
 * The Range Rider (1951–1953) season-one episode "The Last of the Pony Express"
 * Crossroad Avenger (1953)
 * Pony Express (1959–1960)
 * Bonanza (1959–1973) season seven, two-part episode "Ride the Wind"
 * The Young Riders (1989–1992)
 * Into the West (2005)
 * My Little Pony: Equestria Girls (2013)

 * Lucky Luke: The Pony Express (1988)

title: Pony Express


text:
Talk:Diplomacy

Diplomacy (game)
Moved the initial entry about the board game to Diplomacy (game). I think it would startle most users of an encyclopedia to find a board game description as the primary entry. :) Of course, now the primary entry needs to be written - what's there is just a stub. -- April

 * That makes sense. I was just experimenting with creating an article, and had no idea where it would land.  Now I have changed the link from the board game page too.  My question is whether there is a general policy of putting the non-trademarked word as the primary entry.  For example to scrabble means to scramble or clamber, but maybe most people who look up Scrabble are thinking of the crossword game.

 * Thanks for helping me out. This whole concept is sooooo cool.  -Karl

Welcome, Karl! The Wikipedia naming conventions suggest the most common use should be the "primary" entry, but there are sometimes disagreements as to what that should be. In case of serious confusion, disambiguating pages are used. Hope to see you around! -- April

 * excellent article, the resources are excellent! —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 144.82.192.209 (talk) 23:43, 3 March 2007 (UTC).

What, no discussion?
The article of the week, and no one's talking? For shame. Well, I'll start the chat by saying that I'd like to work in public diplomacy somewhere. I'm not sure the actual word is used outside the U.S., but it's a useful concept and it's something many governments do. Isomorphic 14:37, 24 Aug 2004 (UTC)

World Peace? questionable
"Once concerned most prominently with...questions of war and peace, diplomacy now concerns itself more with issues of trade and culture."

I challenge the accuracy of this statement. If there's no convincing evidence to back this up then it'll be removed. Comments?

 * This is true for the vast majority of countries, but perhaps not for the United States. - SimonP 14:15, Aug 25, 2004 (UTC)

 * Surely nearly every country in the world has had diplomatic activity related to war recently, not just the US (Western countries (whether to be a member of the 'coalition'), middle east countries, countless African countries etc etc?? I think original statement is naive. (original comment above is mine, forgot to sign) -- AdamH 15:21, 25 Aug 2004 (UTC)
 * Haven't trade and culture always been a subject of diplomacy? Maybe not as much as today, but it was an issue. I also disagree with the SimonP's implication that U.S. diplomacy today isn't concerned with trade - after all, there are those who say that the U.S. primarilly chooses its wars with economic interests in mind. Isomorphic 01:10, 26 Aug 2004 (UTC)
 * I'll replace "Once concerned most prominently with...questions of war and peace, diplomacy now concerns itself more with issues of trade and culture." with something like "Diplomacy, international or otherwise, concerns itself with a whole manner of topics, including  war and trade." I suppose it's just the tone of the original statement. I don't like how it implies how war is no longer a diplomatic issue, which it clearly is. I mean, from the earliest cavemen, bartering a rock-hammer or something for a piece of bone, that's diplomacy involving trade right? And right now we have the US involved diplomatically with Iran over nuclear concerns, which is diplomacy concerned with war? I just can't see how that original statement stands up. I haven't had any replies disagreeing so I'll change the article. Incidentally I agree with most of Isomorphic's comment. AdamH 15:49, 10 Sep 2004 (UTC)

Sealand
I don't think Sealand is a good example of an unrecognized country. Much better examples are Abkhazia, Somaliland, Puntland, or Transnistria. These are full-size de facto states that do not have diplomatic recognition. Isomorphic 14:52, 26 Aug 2004 (UTC)
 * I strongly feel Sealand makes for a better pull-quote/caption and image, though. It also may be slightly more well-known to a section of the readership. Undoubtably your examples (plus more) make for better text within the section- I simply don't know of as many unrecognized countries. --Rossumcapek 18:08, 28 Aug 2004 (UTC)

Definition of Diplomacy
I once saw a poster which read, "Diplomacy is the ability to tell someone to go to hell and have them look forward to the trip." H2O 23:35, 26 Aug 2004 (UTC)
 * Will Rogers: "Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock."
 * Ambrose Bierce's Devil's Dicitonary defines diplomacy as "The patriotic art of lying for one's country."
 * --Rossumcapek 17:44, 28 Aug 2004 (UTC)

Diplomacy is rather the act or relationship between two entities Ekom James (talk) 09:35, 7 June 2018 (UTC)

ambassadors' ranks - strange sentence...
I changed the following sentence: "States were normally ranked by the title of the sovereign, for Catholic nations the emissary from the Vatican was paramount, those from the kingdoms, then duchies and principalities and republics were considered the lowest of the low" to this: "States were normally ranked by the title of the sovereign; for Catholic nations the emissary from the Vatican was paramount, then those from the kingdoms, and duchies, principalities and republics were considered the lowest of the low."

I'm not sure if I preserved the original meaning, but the old sentence was very hard to understand.

saturnight 16:17, Aug 27, 2004 (UTC)

Missing word?
"Even in smaller posting ambassadors were very expensive."

There ought to be a word between 'smaller' and 'posting', but I'm not entirely sure what word was intended when this was written. Anyone have any idea? ---J. Passepartout

 * I think it's "smaller posts." Chart123 20:51, 18 April 2006 (UTC)

Non-western Diplomacy?
Very little on non-western diplomacy here. Mongols, and that's pretty much it. Anything about diplomacy in the Ancient Chinese empires? Japan, Korea? What about among the Caliphates? Is this just a modern phenomenon? If so, should there be something about this?

Chart123 20:51, 18 April 2006 (UTC)
 * There most definitely should be more. Though the "Diplomats as a guarantee" section also has some description of non-western practices.- SimonP 23:55, 1 June 2006 (UTC)
 * In breaking the history section into "Europe" and "Asia", I have added a lot more information to the Asian part (including the Middle East and the Far East). The history of India should also be considered.--PericlesofAthens 16:58, 9 July 2007 (UTC)
 * Also, one should consider Cold War diplomacy, especially with an expansion of Soviet-style diplomacy.--72.196.253.3 22:08, 20 July 2007 (UTC)

It seems that someone tried to address this concern, but the information about the Ottomans in particular that is included right now is particularly biased and uncited. Lumping Ottoman and Chinese diplomatic practices and views together is not only Orientalism at its finest, it's also wrong. I don't know much about the practices of Chinese dynasties, but I do know a bit about Ottoman practices, and will be revising soon. Anyone else have thoughts about this? dynam001 (talk) 04:45, 19 July 2011 (UTC)

Delisted GA
This article did not go through the standard GA nomination process. In reviewing the article as is, there is a serious lack of citations of sources (see criterion 2b). Concerning prose, some assertions are made which use weasel words which should corrected and cited, for example: "Modern diplomacy's origins are often traced to the states of Northern Italy". "Diplomacy was a complex affair, even more so than now" sounds like an opinion and requires a citation or and a rewording.

In regards to coverage, the history section is rather Europe-centric. One could just brush it aside with the statement that the rest of the world were not interested in diplomacy, but that would not be quite correct. China at times in its history did send diplomats abroad.

The lead section should be a summary of the article. Currently the lead is in fact a section in itself. The portions that introduce new information should be part of the main sections and only a standalone summary should be included in the lead.

Please correct these items before renominating the article. RelHistBuff 11:20, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

 * The Europeans more or less shaped and crafted modern diplomacy to what it is today so of course it's going to be more "Europe-centric". China sent out diplomatic missions but not as extensive as the Euro nations during their craze for colonies and constant warring with one another a few centures ago. Shadowrun 06:12, 18 October 2006 (UTC)

Diplomatic Theory?
Shouldn't there be a section within the article that at the very least links to the most common schools of diplomatic thought: Realism, Rationalism, Liberalism, etc.?--A Parallax View 18:36, 2 November 2006 (UTC)

Merge from Legation?
Oppose merge. -- Petri Krohn 17:22, 25 November 2006 (UTC)

Diplomatic recognition of the Netherlands
In the section on diplomatic recognition the Kingdom of the Netherlands was mentioned as a country that was not recognised by even its closest allies for decades after independence. This situation however pertains to the Dutch Republic, the predescessor state of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. I changed this.Gerard von Hebel 21:55, 27 November 2006 (UTC)

POV Section "Diplomats as a guarantee"
This section appears to be a POV excuse for Iranian behavior and should be removed. It has no basis in diplomatic law, and certainly, the Islamic Republic regime was no shining example of honest diplomacy.Scott Adler 06:45, 7 January 2007 (UTC)

 * Agreed. The Iranian action was a gross breach of diplomatic norms and is recognized as such by essentially everyone besides Iran.  Mgunn 07:58, 7 January 2007 (UTC)

 * Looks like this was added by SimonP back in 24 September 2004. If someone wanted to they could see if he had any resource for this by asking on his talk page. (PsychoSmith 21:33, 7 January 2007 (UTC))
 * If you want to read about the development of diplomatic immunity, and its divergence from the diplomatic norms established in the Middle East, a good source is The Rise of the Great Powers: 1648-1815 by Derek McKay and H.M. Scott. Specifically see pg. 202 to 204. Most of the history in this article is based on that book. It used to be listed as a reference for the article, but has for some reason disappeared. - SimonP 22:40, 7 January 2007 (UTC)

Expulsions
This article needs something on diplomatic expulsions ('e.g.' see Alexander Litvinenko poisoning) linking to a list of expulsions 'etc.' Cutler 12:20, 19 July 2007 (UTC)
 * see article Persona non grata Mikebar (talk) 10:52, 10 January 2008 (UTC)

Citation Removal
I have removed all of the citation links to the so-called "article" entitled "A Brief History of Diplomacy". This "article" was cited 4 or 5 times in the Diplomacy page, but on following the link, I found a page which was almost word-for-word the wikipedia article. Furthermore, at the bottom of the page, it acknowledges that it uses materials from the wikipedia Diplomacy page as a source. Citation in this fashion is misleading, and a more reputable source should be found. dynam001 10:40, 24 December 2009 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Dynamo152 (talk • contribs)

Digital Diplomacy
Further extend the discussion on digital diplomacy and eDiplomacy. Make reference to open diplomacy, as advanced by the Open Diplomacy Group (http://opendiplomacy.blogspot.com), and eDiplomacy (http://edip.diplomacy.edu/). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.143.121.56 (talk) 19:38, 4 March 2010 (UTC)

Bias line should be reconfigured.
"Small states are particularly affected by developments which are determined beyond their borders such as climate change, water security and shifts in the global economy"

This line makes it fairly clear that climate change has been caused by national policy and not of natural causes. Climate change itself is an issue that many disagree on if it is happening or not. The line violates Wikis neutrality stance twice in that statement. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.181.114.227 (talk) 08:31, 26 September 2010 (UTC)

File:Indian Diplomatic Personnel.jpg Nominated for Deletion

 * The graph seems non-sequitor in this article. For what year is it and what is the definition of Professional vs. non-professional?  What is the basis/source for the data?  Unless it is made more clear, I would move to delete the image.  Mikebar (talk) 14:13, 15 May 2011 (UTC)

Talk: List of sovereign states
A discussion is ongoing at Talk:List of sovereign states under the Bundling of "UN observer states" and "member states of UN Specialized Agencies" subhead about things like: Not many editors are involved and there is a desire to broaden the participation. Hope some of you wish to contribute. Just click there and give your views. Thanks. NelsonSudan (talk) 17:59, 19 August 2011 (UTC)
 * Should Kosovo and Holy See really be bundled together?
 * Should permanent observers (i.e. Holy See) have its own category?
 * Should the list be amended so it does not incorrectly say that the Vatican City is a UN observer....its not, the Holy See is.
 * if Kosovo is listed with the Holy See, must Niue and Cook Islands also be so listed.

Scandinavian republics
"Representatives from republics were ranked the lowest (which often angered the leaders of the numerous German, Scandinavian and Italian republics)". This seems little odd: which Scandinavian republics would these be? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.181.151.227 (talk) 20:56, 5 September 2011 (UTC)
 * Maybe Finland and Iceland, depending whether they existed in the period this refers to. Japinderum (talk) 09:03, 20 September 2011 (UTC)

Diplomatic relations
After extending diplomatic recognition to each other the entities involved often proceed with establishing of diplomatic relations and exchange of diplomats representing them. Those representatives are certified as one entity's official representative to another trough the process of diplomatic accreditation where their credentials are presented and accepted by the host. Diplomats of highest rank are most commonly titled as Ambassador, but other titles are utilized in some cases depending on the different institutional setups of the entities involved (e.g. Nuncio and others).

As of 2011 the following entities extend diplomatic recognitions or engage in diplomatic relations of highest rank:
 * sovereign states controlling permanently populated territory: 193 UN members,   Abkhazia, Cook Islands, Kosovo, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic,  Niue, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, Somaliland,   South Ossetia, Republic of China (Taiwan), Transnistria, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,
 * sovereign state whose territory is under foreign occupation: State of Palestine,
 * sovereign entity with statehood over the Vatican City: Holy See,
 * sovereign entity without statehood: Sovereign Military Order of Malta,
 * supranational union of sovereign states: European Union.

I added the above section, but it was reverted by Night w claiming WP:SYNTH and "poorly sourced". This is just a list of entities conducting diplomatic relations - there are no "conclusions reached by combining multiple sources" and there is a source supporting the addition of every entity listed, so I agree neither with WP:SYNTH nor with poorly sourced allegations.

Do you agree adding this section? Japinderum (talk) 09:03, 20 September 2011 (UTC)

 * The first paragraph is unsourced—entirely. That's already the definition of "poorly sourced". The sources you've given don't support the claims they're attributed to. None of them say anything about "rank" or "recognitions", from what I can see. In fact, the claims seem to rely mostly on the word "ambassador" in the sources given—so does the Arab League belong on this list? I don't think it's as simple as you're trying to make it. If it was, I'm sure there'd be a book somewhere you could use as a source instead. These are insufficient.
 * And, by the way, if you truly wish to keep up the façade of being a new user, you should try to avoid pushing the exact same crap you did with your last account. Using the the same language on talk pages, the exact same sources and content, the same style of editing—you've even made the exact same grammatical errors ! What, you saw this in the archives somewhere? I don't know why you're choosing this route (your old account is in good standing), but I will continue to call DUCK.  Night w   11:46, 20 September 2011 (UTC)
 * Are we here to discuss accounts or content? What I understand from the above comment all accounts are in good standing (e.g. not blocked or whatever), so there is no point in discussing that. You already gave the link to the archives were PART of this is taken from, but this is irrelevant. Call it however you wish, but I'm more interested in discussing the content.

 * The first paragraph is taken from the linked Wikipedia articles - reword it if you want. And about the "rank" or "recognitions" - do you claim that having established diplomatic relations doesn't show that both entities have extended diplomatic recognition to each other? Do you claim that having an Ambassador and Embassy of one state into another doesn't show that they have established diplomatic relations? Do you claim that Ambassador (or the corresponding title adopted in the Commonwealth, by the Holy See, SMOM, EU and some other states like Libya under Gadaffi) is not the highest diplomatic rank? Actually "diplomatic recognition" and "diplomatic relations" have sufficiently restrictive meaning even without the "highest rank" clarification, but it's added in order to avoid unnecessary disputes. The Arab League is a regular intergovernmental organization and you wouldn't find it in any list of diplomatic relations or diplomatic recognitions and it doesn't have "Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary". The word "ambassador" is utilized in many different contexts, including for representatives of IGOs, but in those contexts it isn't related to diplomatic relations or diplomatic recognitions.

 * The sources supplied show for each of these entities that it has established diplomatic relations with or extended diplomatic recognition to at least one of the others. Do you question any of that? If you do we can find sources about "established diplomatic relations with" or "extended diplomatic recognition to" for those entities that you find to require better sources. Japinderum (talk) 14:08, 20 September 2011 (UTC)

 * "The word "ambassador" is utilized in many different contexts, including for representatives of IGOs, but in those contexts it isn't related to diplomatic relations or diplomatic recognitions." — And this is why you cannot put this stuff down to merely the presence of the word "ambassador" in your sources. An ambassador of the Arab League does indeed have plenipotentiary powers. What you are claiming isn't claimed by your sources. For example, instead of citing a source that states, "Ethiopia has upgraded its mission in Somaliland from a Trade office to a Consulate", the source should explicitly back up what you're claiming—that it "extend[s] diplomatic recognitions or engage[s] in diplomatic relations of highest rank". I'm not disputing all of your claims, but definitely some of them and your method of sourcing. Somaliland and NKR currently do not engage in relations of the highest rank, nor do your sources say they do. Most of the sources you've used don't backup your words (some of them are even dead) so it would be better to leave them without a source.  Night w   07:28, 21 September 2011 (UTC)
 * I'm not sure that you are correct about Arab League having "Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary" somewhere. And I haven't seen the AL in any list of diplomatic recognitions or diplomatic relations.
 * Dead sources or such that don't support what's written should be corrected, of course. You mention Somaliland and NKR as these that need better sourcing. Are there others?
 * The second source for Somaliland says "Ethiopia has a Trade Liaison Office in Hargeisa, headed by a diplomat with the rank of Ambassador," The third source shows Somaliland recognizing South Sudan at its inauguration ceremony (older states recognize newer ones). Do you have any information whether South Sudan will establish diplomatic relations with it?
 * The NKR, South Ossetia, Abkhazia, Transnistria recognize each other - that's what the sources show. There is also about the possibility to establish diplomatic relations between NKR and Abkhazia.

 * If you deem all of those insufficient we can remove Somaliland and NKR until another source is found - but I find it strange to object listing those - both are well established states even if they are some of the least recognized internationally. Japinderum (talk) 12:35, 21 September 2011 (UTC)

 * They are insufficient. The link I gave above shows a representative from the Arab League with the rank of ambassador. As we've seen from sources we've previously reviewed together, the Arab League and the OIC also "recognised" the State of Palestine. So why should I or anyone else distinguish this from the Somaliland ambassador, or its recognition of another state? How would we? You're relying on something that isn't present in your sources.None of them say what you're trying to say. They just use the word "ambassador" or "recognised". So what's to stop me adding a whole list of other entities (such as the Arab League) to that list? It wouldn't be any less true to the claim that they "extend diplomatic recognitions or engage in diplomatic relations" than others on the list. The level of sourcing would be the same, relying purely on the words "ambassador", "recognised", etcetera.  Night w   12:04, 22 September 2011 (UTC)
 * The link you gave is not about "Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary". AL and OIC recognized Palestine, but this is not "diplomatic recognition" - it's a decision of a particular institution of an intergovernmental organization.

 * OK, so what I understand from your comment is that we should look for sources more explicit about "established diplomatic relations with" or "extended diplomatic recognition to". I'll look trough the sources already presented (some of them say that already) and will try to find more for those entities that lack such better source. Japinderum (talk) 08:31, 26 September 2011 (UTC)

Cultural Diplomacy? Clean Up Needed.
unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

Have applied tag. There are no citations that support any of the claims made. There is also an odd correlation in content to other wiki pages - Cultural_Diplomacy and Institute for Cultural Diplomacy with concerns as to Advertising - WP:SOAP etc.

If as claimed "Cultural Diplomacy (the science/study of diplomacy between cultures) has existed as a practice for centuries." there should be many independent sources to substantiate that claim and illuminate the subject. lack of citation and suitable reference is an issue. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Media-hound- thethird (talk • contribs) 17:46, 6 May 2012 (UTC)

Cultural Diplomacy - section removed - copyright violations
Copy and paste with minor additions from either the page Cultural Diplomacy or the source identified.

Whole section removed until a proper wiki entry can be made. 10:59, 24 June 2012 (UTC)

Ottoman Empire as a major diplomatic power
Here is the "Ms Nicholson" of Ottoman Turkish diplomacy. We could use her works to make a better contribution to this article on Ottoman imperial diplomacy practices. --E4024 (talk) 11:58, 28 September 2012 (UTC)

Graph
What is the graph of Diplomatic Personnel actually showing? Improving it with a more in depth description underneath would be nice. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Billgates2 (talk • contribs) 23:06, 19 August 2014 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just added archive links to 2 one external links on Diplomacy. Please take a moment to review my edit. If necessary, add after the link to keep me from modifying it. Alternatively, you can add to keep me off the page altogether. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive http://web.archive.org/web/20090304003519/http://www.history.com/schedule.do?action=daily&linkDate=2008-05-141100&timeZone=EST to http://www.history.com/schedule.do?action=daily&linkDate=2008-05-141100&timeZone=EST#
 * Added archive http://web.archive.org/web/20131212044341/http://www.folkebernadotteacademy.se/en/Competences/Political-Affairs/Order-Download-the-Political-Advisers-Handbook/ to http://www.folkebernadotteacademy.se/en/Competences/Political-Affairs/Order-Download-the-Political-Advisers-Handbook/

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true or failed to let others know (documentation at ).

Cheers.—cyberbot II  Talk to my owner :Online 07:52, 22 March 2016 (UTC)

Assessment comment
Substituted at 13:28, 29 April 2016 (UTC)

External links modified
Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 3 one external links on Diplomacy. Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20140714174920/http://www.army.mil/professionalWriting/volumes/volume5/september_2007/9_07_2.html to http://www.army.mil/professionalWriting/volumes/volume5/september_2007/9_07_2.html
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20150518172340/http://houseofprotocol.com/ to http://www.houseofprotocol.com/
 * Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20140404080529/http://www.hnkcnews.com:80/ to http://www.hnkcnews.com/

When you have finished reviewing my changes, please set the checked parameter below to true or failed to let others know (documentation at ).

Cheers.— InternetArchiveBot  (Report bug) 14:51, 13 December 2016 (UTC)

Short description
I added a short description to this page as part of a run through all the remaining level-3 vital articles that still lacked them. Per WP:SHORTDESC, the target maximum length is 40 characters and the goal is to help users understand what this page is about when they're making searches, not to comprehensively define the topic (for instance, at pages like History of music we just use Aspect of history). The Wikidata description for this page was Art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states (87 characters), which I shortened to Art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of states (a little shorter at 77 characters), going off of the lead sentence, which began Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of states (Diplomacy (disambiguation) also concurs). reverted and added "and groups" to the lead sentence.

I'm not a diplomacy scholar, but it seems like there may be a bit of an unaddressed question about whether or not it's okay for the page to cover the colloquial definition of diplomacy ("the art of dealing with people in a sensitive and effective way" from the dictionary) or only the professionalized definition ("the profession, activity, or skill of managing international relations, typically by a country's representatives abroad" from the dictionary). Currently, the page seems basically the latter, and my initial thought is that that's reasonable, since the colloquial definition can be covered by other pages like negotiation (we could add a hatnote For further information on diplomacy in an informal sense, see negotiation.). If we go with that, there's then the question of the short description to use for the professionalized definition. If we can find a way to keep it within the 40 character guideline or closer to it, we ought to. At first glance, "state" seems sufficient to me, since the term is broader than most people realize — we define it as "Organised community living under a system of government" in its short description. But I'd like to hear from everyone here: how necessary is mentioning non-state groups to the essence of the topic, and is there any other way to communicate the essence in as short/simple a way as possible? {{u| Sdkb  }}  talk 17:20, 22 June 2020 (UTC)
 * I dont think expanding to groups is expanding to the colloquial. I am an international relations scholar, but thats neither here nor there. Groups also includes the supranational, for instance the EU’s diplomacy. Horse Eye Jack (talk) 18:11, 22 June 2020 (UTC)
 * I added groups because thats whats in the body, if we want to change what the article is about we’re gonna have to take a lot of stuff out. Horse Eye Jack (talk) 18:13, 22 June 2020 (UTC)
 * I'll add back the wikidata description (including "groups"), since the most important thing is that the article have some shortdesc rather than none. Beyond that, it's a matter I'm fine leaving to those of you who watch this area more closely than I do, so long as you all keep conciseness/clarity for a general non-specialist audience top of mind. {{u| Sdkb  }}  talk 20:09, 22 June 2020 (UTC)

Diplomacy
Diplomacy 116.204.241.8 (talk) 18:10, 4 February 2023 (UTC)

Diplomacy as a social skill
Perhaps this article can be expanded, or a companion article can be written to address diplomacy as a social skill. Lbeaumont (talk) 16:57, 19 January 2024 (UTC)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Talk:Diplomacy


text:
Talk:Ethnologue

Reception, reliability, & use
There have been 92 edits in the past 24 hours to this section of the article. At this point, this section comprises something like 60% of the textual body of the article. That's really disproportionate. Three of the four editors who have contributed to this editing are involved in a dispute about the reliability of a map based on Ethnologue as a source. (I, too, am involved in this dispute.) Please remember: Wikipedia is not a valid source for Wikipedia! Editing this article will not support your arguments for or against the use of Ethnologue as a source elsewhere on Wikipedia. I think the most appropriate thing would be for an editor who is not involved in this dispute to clean up the section & reduce it to a size more in keeping with its importance for the full scope of the article. Pathawi (talk) 16:27, 23 November 2022 (UTC)

 * (I would do this myself, but since I'm involved in the dispute I think my motives could be questioned.) Pathawi (talk) 16:31, 23 November 2022 (UTC)
 * Why should we reduce the length of this section and not increase the length of the rest of the article? A455bcd9 (talk) 16:31, 23 November 2022 (UTC)
 * If we were having this conversation in person, I would not respond in words but would just give you an exasperated, pleading look. So… just imagine that. Editors not involved in the sourcing dispute: It would be great if one or some of you would edit this so that the article's content were balanced (in terms of importance—viewpoint is important, but not what I'm concerned about here). You can decide whether that means trimming this section or expanding the rest. Pathawi (talk) 16:36, 23 November 2022 (UTC)
 * Haha I agree that online discussion doesn't make things easier but my question was serious. Anyway sorry for that but more seriously, I thought that the main issue was that "this section comprises something like 60% of the textual body of the article. That's really disproportionate" => if we double the rest of the article, would you still recommend trimming that section?
 * But for sure, this section could be simplified. However, I was afraid of WP:SYNTHESIS. Anyway, a third-party view is more than welcome! Cheers, A455bcd9 (talk) 16:43, 23 November 2022 (UTC)

"Ethnologue 27th edition" listed at Redirects for discussion
The redirect [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ethnologue_27th_edition&redirect=no Ethnologue 27th edition] has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at  until a consensus is reached. Fram (talk) 12:03, 13 June 2023 (UTC)

title: Talk:Ethnologue


text:
Great Awakening

The Great Awakening was a series of religious revivals in American Christian history. Historians and theologians identify three, or sometimes four, waves of increased religious enthusiasm between the early 18th century and the late 20th century. Each of these "Great Awakenings" were characterized by widespread revivals led by evangelical Protestant ministers, a sharp increase of interest in religion, a profound sense of conviction and redemption on the part of those affected, an increase in evangelical church membership, and the formation of new religious movements and denominations.

George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, and Gilbert Tennent were influential during the First Great Awakening. Some of the influential groups during the Great Awakening were the New Lights and the Old Lights.

Pulling away from ritual and ceremony, the Great Awakening made religion more personal by fostering a sense of spiritual conviction of personal sin and need for redemption, and by encouraging introspection and a commitment to personal morality. It incited rancor and division between traditionalists, who insisted on the continuing importance of ritual and doctrine, and revivalists who encouraged emotional involvement and personal commitment. It had a major impact in reshaping the Congregational church, the Presbyterian church, the Dutch Reformed Church, and the German Reformed denomination, and strengthened the small Baptist and Methodist denominations. It had less impact on Anglicans and Quakers. Unlike the Second Great Awakening, which began about 1800 and reached out to the unchurched, the First Great Awakening focused on those who were already church members. It changed their rituals, their piety, and their self-awareness.

First Great Awakening
The First Great Awakening began in the 1730s and lasted to about 1740, though pockets of revivalism had occurred in years prior, especially amongst the ministry of Solomon Stoddard, Jonathan Edwards's grandfather. Edwards's congregation was involved in a revival later called the "Frontier Revivals" in the mid-1730s, though this was on the wane by 1737. But as American religious historian Sydney E. Ahlstrom noted, the Great Awakening "was still to come, ushered in by the Grand Itinerant", the British evangelist George Whitefield. Whitefield arrived in Georgia in 1738 and returned in 1739 for a second visit of the Colonies, making a "triumphant campaign north from Philadelphia to New York, and back to the South". In 1740, he visited New England, and "at every place he visited, the consequences were large and tumultuous". Ministers from various evangelical Protestant denominations supported the Great Awakening. In the middle colonies, he influenced not only the British churches, but the Dutch and German.

Additionally, pastoral styles began to change. In the late colonial period, most pastors read their sermons, which were theologically dense and advanced a particular theological argument or interpretation. Nathan O. Hatch argues that the evangelical movement of the 1740s played a key role in the development of democratic thought, as well as the belief of the free press and the belief that information should be shared and completely unbiased and uncontrolled. Michał Choiński argues that the First Great Awakening marks the birth of the American "rhetoric of the revival" understood as "a particular mode of preaching in which the speaker employs and it has a really wide array of patterns and communicative strategies to initiate religious conversions and spiritual regeneration among the hearers". All these theological, social, and rhetorical notions ushered in the period of the American Revolution. This contributed to create a demand for religious freedom. The Great Awakening represented the first time African Americans embraced Christianity in large numbers.

In the later part of the 1700s, the Revival came to the English colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island primarily through the efforts of Henry Alline and his New Light movement.

Second Great Awakening
The Second Great Awakening (sometimes known simply as "the Great Awakening") was a religious revival that occurred in the United States beginning in the late eighteenth century and lasting until the middle of the nineteenth century. While it occurred in all parts of the United States, it was especially strong in the Northeast and the Midwest. This awakening was unique in that it moved beyond the educated elite of New England to those who were less wealthy and less educated. The center of revivalism was the so-called Burned-over district in western New York. Named for its overabundance of hellfire-and-damnation preaching, the region produced dozens of new denominations, communal societies, and reform.

Among these dozens of new denominations were free black churches, run independently of existing congregations that were predominantly of white attendance. During the period between the American revolution and the 1850s, black involvement in largely white churches declined in great numbers, with participation becoming almost non-existent by the 1840s–1850s; some scholars argue that this was largely due to racial discrimination within the church. This discrimination came in the form of segregated seating and the forbiddance of African Americans from voting in church matters or holding leadership positions in many white churches. Reverend Richard Allen, a central founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, was quoted describing one such incident of racial discrimination in a predominantly white church in Philadelphia, in which fellow preacher and a former slave from Delaware, Absalom Jones, was grabbed by a white church trustee in the midst of prayer and forcefully told to leave.

Closely related to the Second Great Awakening were other reform movements such as temperance, abolition, and women's rights. The temperance movement encouraged people to abstain from consuming alcoholic drinks in order to preserve family order. The abolition movement fought to abolish slavery in the United States. The women's rights movement grew from female abolitionists who realized that they could fight for their own political rights, too. In addition to these causes, reforms touched nearly every aspect of daily life, such as restricting the use of tobacco and dietary and dress reforms. The abolition movement emerged in the North from the wider Second Great Awakening 1800–1840.

Third Great Awakening
The Third Great Awakening in the 1850s–1900s was characterized by new denominations, active missionary work, Chautauquas, and the Social Gospel approach to social issues. The YMCA (founded in 1844) played a major role in fostering revivals in the cities in the 1858 Awakening and after. The revival of 1858 produced the leadership, such as that of Dwight L. Moody, out of which came religious work carried on in the armies during the civil war. The Christian and Sanitary Commissions and numerous Freedmen's Societies were also formed in the midst of the War.

Fourth Great Awakening
The Fourth Great Awakening is a debated concept that has not received the acceptance of the first three. Advocates such as economist Robert Fogel say it happened in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The Jesus Movement is cited as evidence of this awakening, and it created a shift in church music styles.

Mainline Protestant denominations weakened sharply in both membership and influence while the most conservative religious denominations (such as the Southern Baptists) grew rapidly in numbers, spread across the United States, had grave internal theological battles and schisms, and became politically powerful.

Terminology
The idea of an "awakening" implies a slumber or passivity during secular or less religious times. Awakening is a term which originates from, and is embraced often and primarily by, evangelical Christians. In recent times, the idea of "awakenings" in United States history has been put forth by conservative American evangelicals.

In the late 2010s and 2020s the term Great Awakening has been used by promoters of the QAnon conspiracy theory to denote awareness of their theory.

In 2018, the British political commentator Andrew Sullivan described the "Great Awokening", describing it as a "cult of social justice on the left, a religion whose followers show the same zeal as any born-again Evangelical [Christian]" and who "punish heresy by banishing sinners from society or coercing them to public demonstrations of shame". In 2024, The Great Awokening was used as the title of a book by Professor Eric Kaufmann on the same subject.

title: Great Awakening