Early-Day Transportation in West Texas, circa 1940

Subjects: Horses Mail & Correspondence Trucks & Wagons
Card type: Linen
Date: c. 1943 (Linen)

Back of Early-Day Transportation in West Texas, circa 1940, Canyon, TX, USA, c. 1943 linen postcard — Back

About this postcard

A map of West Texas is surrounded by three scenes of early travel: an ox-drawn covered wagon, a four-horse stagecoach with driver and guard, and a Pony Express rider. The wagon caption points out the bull-wacker's guide rope and long whip and calls the route through "dangerous Indian country and buffalo prairies" typical of hundreds of wagons that carried settlers to new ranges. The stagecoach text describes relays of horses, rough trails, and highwaymen, with passengers arriving dusty, bruised, and weary. The Pony Express rider is described as a fast paper-message courier racing between stations about 80 miles apart; the card credits Buffalo Bill with a 320-mile round trip in 21½ hours that exhausted 12 ponies. A population note traces the 95 counties of West Texas from 1890 to 981,351 by 1930 and 1,019,525 by 1940, calling the region "America's last frontier and land of the modern pioneer."

Postcard Details

Message

No message detected

PublisherMcCormick Co.

Oxen-drawn covered wagon, typical of hundreds used to cross dangerous Indian country and buffalo prairies to settle vir- gin ranges of West Texas. Note bull-wacker with guide rope and long whip. Early-Day Transportation in West Texas! WEST TEXAS Pony express rider — actually a thin paper, fast - message courier who raced at break-neck speed against time. Rider-stations were about 80 miles apart with two pony-change points en route. Buffalo Bill once made a two- station run and return, 320 miles, in 21½ hours, exhausting 12 ponies. West Texas four-horse stage-coach, driver and guard. Frequent relays of horses made possible surprising speed over rough, highwaymen-in- fested trails. Passengers arrived dusty, bruised and weary. Equal to Maine, N. Y. and Penna. in area, the 1890 population of the 95 counties of West Texas multiplied ten times to 981,351 by 1930 and 1,019,525 by 1940—America's last frontier and land of the modern pioneer!

Addressed to

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Postcard record

Publisher	McCormick Co.
Series	3B-H1507
Condition	Very good
Place mentioned	West Texas, Canyon, TX
Place mentioned	McCormick Co., Amarillo, TX
Publisher	McCormick Co., Chicago, IL
Notes	Linen texture; no white border; printed code 3B-H1507. No postmark. Divided-back linen 'C.T. Art-Colortone' card, distributed by McCormick Co., Amarillo, Texas; printed West Texas population blurb. No message or address; only dealer pencil stock number '#59' and price '1-' at lower right.

Cite this card

Early-Day Transportation in West Texas, circa 1940, postcard, c. 1943. PostalPast Collection. https://postalpast.com/postcard/early-day-transportation-in-west-texas-circa-1940. Accessed November 2, 2026.