Alexander Majors facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alexander Majors
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| Born | October 4, 1814 |
| Died | January 13, 1900 (aged 85) |
Alexander Majors (born October 4, 1814 – died January 13, 1900) was an American businessman. He is best known for helping to create the Pony Express. This famous mail service was based in St. Joseph, Missouri.
Around 1860, Majors and his partners, William Hepburn Russell and William B. Waddell, formed a company. It was called the "Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company". Their goal was to win a government contract. This contract was for delivering mail between Missouri and California.
Before this, mail took 25 days or more to travel. It went on a southern route. Majors and his team suggested a faster way. They proposed a central route through Salt Lake City, Utah. They promised to deliver mail in just 10 days. This speedy delivery system was the Pony Express. It used horses and riders in a relay.
Even though they delivered the mail quickly, they did not get the contract. Their company went out of business. This happened after the Transcontinental Telegraph opened in October 1861. The telegraph made fast mail service less necessary.
Later, Alexander Majors helped the Union Pacific Railroad. He provided wooden ties for their tracks. This was for the First Transcontinental Railroad. After the railroad was finished, he kept hauling goods. He delivered them to towns that the railroad had not yet reached.
Early Life and Beginnings
Alexander Majors was born on October 4, 1814. His birthplace was Franklin, Kentucky.
Hauling Goods Across the Land
In 1848, Alexander Majors started a business. He began hauling goods across land on the Santa Fe Trail. On his very first trip, he set a new speed record. He completed the 1564-mile (2500 km) round trip in just 92 days.
Over time, his business grew very large. He employed about 4,000 men. One of his young workers was a 15-year-old named Billy Cody. Billy later became famous as Buffalo Bill. Cody even became one of the most well-known Pony Express riders.
In 1853, Majors won important contracts. He was hired to transport supplies. These supplies went to United States Army posts along the Santa Fe Trail.
Alexander Majors also helped create the Kansas City stockyards. These yards became a major center. From there, beef was shipped to the East Coast and Midwest.
In 1854, he joined forces with William B. Waddell and William Hepburn Russell. Majors was in charge of the freighting (hauling goods). Waddell managed the office work. Russell used his connections in Washington D.C. to get new contracts. Waddell preferred to be a quiet partner. So, the company was first called "Majors and Russell." In the 1850s, their company, Russell, Majors and Waddell, became very important. The short-lived Pony Express also helped Kansas City grow.
Majors' Overland Stage Company was part of a huge network. It reached far into the American West. But after 15 years, his big business empire came to an end.
In 1855, Majors built his two-story farmhouse. It was located in Kansas City. From his warehouse near the river, wagon trains loaded with goods headed west. In Westport, Majors also ran a meat-packing plant. This plant supplied the wagon trains with cured pork, soap, and candles. For 15 years, Majors and his many businesses were very successful.
In 1860, his Pony Express began operating. However, new technology was already a threat. Telegraphs and railroads were becoming common. The telegraph meant the end for the Pony Express. And the "great iron horse" (the railroad) eventually stopped Majors' freight and stagecoach businesses.
By 1865, Majors sold off what little he had left. He then moved to Colorado. Thirty years later, his former young wagonmaster, William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, found him there. Majors was old, sick, and had no money. Cody helped him. He brought Majors to be part of his Wild West show. Alexander Majors lived for a while at Cody's Scouts' Rest Ranch in North Platte, Nebraska.
Majors passed away in Chicago, Illinois, on January 13, 1900. He was 85 years old. He is buried in Union Cemetery in Kansas City, Missouri.
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