Look carefully at the below images. One is a painting of five pony riders in front of the Patee House in St. Joseph, Missouri. The other is a black and white photograph of the Hollenberg Station in Kansas, where Pony Express riders dropped off mail and picked up fresh horses to continue the journey to Sacramento, California.
Based on what you see, what kind of sources are these two images - primary or secondary?
What date was each source created?
Courtesy of Library of Congress.
Description:
This painting by Benton Clark, depicts from left to right; Pony Express founder Alexander Majors and four Pony Express riders; Johnny Fry, Billy Richardson, John Burnett, and Gus Cliff on horses in front of the Patee House Hotel in St. Joseph, Missouri. This was the official starting point for the Pony Express mail service company from April 3, 1860 to October 24, 1861. It also served as the eastern headquarters for the Pony Express founders, William H. Russell, Alexander Majors, and William B. Waddell.
Painting by Benton Clark.
Date: 1961
Courtesy of Library of Congress.
Description:
A station house owned by Gerat H. and Sophia Hollenberg, not only accommodated travelers on the Oregon and California Trails, but operated as a Pony Express station used by riders for exchanging horses for fresh horses, or to hand the mail over to a new rider and fresh horse along the route from Missouri to California. The riders carried the mail in four pockets of a saddlebag called a mochila. When the rider arrived at the station, only the stationmaster had the keys to unlock one of the pockets to retrieve the letters wrapped in oil silk for protection. This same pocket held a time card on which the stationmaster was required to record the arrival time of the rider.
Date: c. 1935
