This week in history features the birth of an American icon, one that shows just how far we were willing to go to get the latest news in the middle of the 19th century.

April 3, 1860

In today’s fast-paced world of the New York Stock Exchange, where fortunes are made and lost in mere fractions of a second, instantaneous communication is imperative.

It is almost inconceivable to think that businesses of any kind could operate without modern conveniences: phones, computers and automobiles.

So integrated into our lives have these technologies become that we have literally built our existence around them. To do without them on a large scale is simply impossible. I dare you to approach a trader on Wall Street and tell him he can only use snail mail to communicate with his clients. That wolf of Wall Street would become a simpering sheep in a heartbeat.

And yet, as with any modern convenience, there was a time when people did fine without them. In fact, before April 3, 1860, businessmen and everyday citizens expected that the surest way to communicate with someone on the opposite coast of the country would be via steamer to the Isthmus of Panama, overland through jungles to the Pacific Ocean and once more by ship to San Francisco. The total journey would last a minimum of three weeks.

In 1859 an alternative to the sea route was established when three companies began operating overland mail routes. These arduous paths started somewhere in Missouri and went either south through Texas or centrally through Nebraska and Utah.

The overland companies were able to deliver messages in roughly the same amount of time as the steamers over the Isthmus of Panama.

However, these were new lines, going through territory sparsely populated over land that was a menace to the most veteran stagecoach driver. One breakdown along a single stretch of the route and the entire mail schedule would be backed up.

Of course, the steamer route was no less fraught with possible delays, between weather at sea and the choked confines of the Panamanian jungle.

Who knew that sending a simple letter could be such a gamble? But these were the exigencies that one had to count on to do business in pre-Civil War America.

The turning point was soon in coming. You see, the government began offering lucrative contracts for overland mail service in the late 1850s.

Those same new and somewhat unreliable overland routes were being operated by private companies with federal money (between $205,000 and $600,000 each year).

If anything could ensure speedier deliveries it was the possibility of making more money. Competition soon grew and by the dawn of 1860, other men hoped to cash in and bellied up to the federal feeding troth.

William H. Russell, Alexander Majors and William B. Waddell were old hats at the game of milking the federal cow. They first joined forces in 1854 to get the government contract to ship military supplies to western outposts.

The Mormon War of 1857 threatened these shipments and eventually led to the three men digging themselves into debt.

Looking once more to the government, the three partners found themselves in charge of an overland mail route, between St. Joseph’s Missouri and Salt Lake City, Utah.

After a failed start by Russell, who had split with the trio to create the Leavenworth and Pike’s Peak Express Company (which went under almost immediately), the reunited trio created the Central Overland California & Pike’s Peak Express Company (COC&PP) in November of 1859.

But they had not yet received the lucrative government contract. In a stunning move, Russell once more broke ranks and announced that the company would create an express service that could transport mail from Missouri to California in just 10 days. They’d call it the Pony Express.

Since it was created primarily as a marketing ploy by the COC&PP to gain the more financially-secure government contract for their standard overland service, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the Pony Express was a financial failure of sorts.

The Pony Express was designed to operate on a relay system, with a rider changing horses every 10 to 15 miles and a new rider taking over every 75 or so.

In the end, the total distance traveled along the route was approximately 1,840 miles from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, where the mail was put on a steamer to San Francisco). Such a route required roughly 190 stations to be constructed, 400-500 horses gathered together and estimated 50 to 80 riders hired.

Announcing their intention to create the express in January of 1860, the trio set the start date for the service for April 3 of that year. They had just four months to put together these logistics. Then as now, money was a great motivator and the COC&PP got the job done.

On April 3, 1860 two riders – one in San Francisco and the other in St. Joseph – set out on the first ride of the Pony Express.

The land they crossed was unsurpassed in its ruggedness and danger, but represented the untarnished beauty of the American west. On the westward trip from Missouri the intrepid rider would race along with herds of bison numbering in the tens of thousands, dashing towards the horizon where the great expanse of the blue sky met the flowing prairie. 

As with any dearly-held American story, specific details about the Pony Express are sometimes hard to verify. On the first trip, the westward-riding expressman was probably John Frye, who carried in his leather pouches about 85 pieces of mail.

Of course, he didn’t carry it the whole way and the rider who trotted into Sacramento on the afternoon of April 13 with the mail from Missouri was far removed from the riders who had hauled the load through the plains and Rocky Mountains.

Contrary to the popular myth, the company did not intentionally hire men without families to serve as their express riders. Although, they probably did look for young, lithe men eager for adventure.

Adventure they found, but only for a time. That first trip was certainly enough to light a fire in the minds of Americans. “Go west, young man,” said famed journalist of the day Horace Greely.

The Pony Express embodied that admonition and did one better: it went west faster than anyone before it. As a marketing ploy, the Pony Express worked and the COC&PP won the contract to run mail overland for the Postal Service.

In fact, it was perhaps the most effective PR campaign in American business because the memory of this great American venture still intrigues us today; this despite the fact that the Pony Express only operated for 19 months.

When the transcontinental telegraph line was finally completed in 1861, the ability to nearly instantaneously transmit information across the nation made a relic of the Pony Express.

Despite its short run, the Pony Express nevertheless persists. In memorabilia, old westerns and in the hearts and minds of nostalgic Americans, the young man on his fast horse racing towards the horizon survives.

Antone Pierucci is the former curator of the Lake County Museum and a freelance writer whose work has been featured in such magazines as Archaeology and Wild West as well as regional California newspapers.

In April, there are several happenings in the night sky that should delight skywatchers.

Jupiter will be visible all night long this month. On April 7, Jupiter will be at opposition, at which point it shines the brightest and appears the largest. Through binoculars, its four moons should also be visible.

Through a telescope Jupiter’s cloud belts and zones are easily visible, and the Great Red Spot can be seen beginning its crossing of the planet’s disk every 10 hours.

Look for the summer triangle this month, which is made up of the bright stars Deneb, Vega and Altair.

The second major meteor shower of the year, the Lyrids, will radiate through the summer triangle and will peak in the morning hours of April 22. It’s expected to offer 18 meteors an hour, with excellent moonless viewing conditions.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The infamous apparatus known as a still was a popular item in days of yore.

During Prohibition, a still could sometimes be found, if one looked hard enough, camouflaged out in the woods.

The still which can be viewed in the Lower Lake Historic Schoolhouse Museum is known as “Lee's Still.”

The information card on the still reads, “The Lee family lived on Liberty Street on the west side of Lower Lake. This still was used to make brandy.”

A still made brandy through a high-heat process. The liquid was boiled, then, through a process of condensing, the cooling created a vapor.

A still can be used to create not only brandy, but other kinds of alcoholic drinks, like gin, as well as perfume and some types of medicines.

When illegal stills were used in America the drink was known as “moonshine.” When moonshine was prepared, the beverage wizards sometimes used corn for the potent brew which could turn out to be quite a strong, high-proof alcoholic drink.

Brandy and the distilling process to concoct it have been in evidence around the world since prior to the 15th century. The term “brandy” is a shortened version of the word “brandywine,” which was originally a Dutch term, brandewijn, meaning “burned wine.”

Considered a spirit, brandy is an alcoholic beverage produced through the process of distilling wine, and can hold a whopping 35 to 60 percent alcohol by volume.

Since brandy can be anywhere from 70 to 120 proof alcohol, it has traditionally been reserved as an after-dinner drink to be consumed in small amounts, most often in glasses called snifters.

Brandy has sometimes been aged in wooden barrels, often oak, or casks, and can obtain its glossy, amber-to-chocolate color from caramel additive, or simply through the aging process.

In the wine-making world brandy is often synonymous with Cognac, but that term is taken from the area of Southwestern France.

Long ago, brandy was distilled as a way to help it keep its flavor for long transports to various markets, and some sources make note of the distillation process being used as an aid to lower taxes, since they were levied by volume. Then, after it reached the market, water could be added back to the product.

Most brandies were produced through distilling wine from grapes so areas with a large viticulture region like those in Western Europe were where most brandies were produced.

Brandy is synonymous with “fruit brandy” when peaches or other fruit is used. It can be called “applejack” when apples are the main ingredient in the process of distillation, and “grain brandy” when grains are used.

Brandy has historically been popular in cooking meat sauces, adding distinctive flavors to soups, and for desserts such as holiday cakes, butters and puddings.

Using brandy as a fancy flambé in crepe Suzettes and cherries jubilee and set to light over other desserts gives a unique character to the meal.

Kathleen Scavone, M.A., is a retired educator, potter, writer and author of “Anderson Marsh State Historic Park: A Walking History, Prehistory, Flora, and Fauna Tour of a California State Park” and “Native Americans of Lake County.” She also writes for NASA and JPL as one of their “Solar System Ambassadors.” She was selected “Lake County Teacher of the Year, 1998-99” by the Lake County Office of Education, and chosen as one of 10 state finalists the same year by the California Department of Education.

When wildfires spread and scorch the earth, people like Penny Luehring have to act fast. Secondary impacts such as debris flows can be devastating to nearby communities.

As program leader for the National Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team for the U.S. Forest Service, it’s her job – along with her team – to manage and assess the effects of fires, including what can happen right after a fire and what damage can occur long afterward.

“We have an important role as stewards of the land,” said Luehring. “National forest lands, national parks, wildlife refuges, tribal lands: that’s our responsibility, to protect those tribal and public lands from [aftereffects] triggered by the fire.”

According to the National Interagency Fire Center, in the last decade, wildfires burned over 80 million acres of lands across the United States.

In 2016, massive wildfires have affected sections of the Nation. For example, the Range 12 Fire in Washington burned over 176,000 acres and the Hot Pot Fire in Nevada burned over 122,000 acres.

Wildfires can brutalize vegetation. “Natural, unburned vegetation protects the soil from erosion,” said Luehring. But high-severity fires make soils water-repellent, “so [the soil] no longer acts like a sponge during rainfall events, and water runs off rapidly, taking the soil with it.”

This loss of absorption means that when the rains come, more water stays on the surface, causing fast-moving slurries of soil, rocks, boulders, vegetation and water, called debris flows, along with flooding.

Danger of debris flows

A debris flow can destroy any object in its path; they strip vegetation, block drainage, and damage homes, forests, parks, and community water resources such as dams and reservoirs. They also endanger human lives.

Debris flows are particularly dangerous because they can be triggered by rainfall that would not otherwise cause problems. But after a fire has left vegetation-denuded slopes, water can wreak havoc: the rain comes, the ground fails.

“What we do is time-sensitive,” Luehring said. “Many times the damaging events are right around the corner.”

Her team typically provides an assessment seven days after a fire is contained. The team starts the BAER assessment when fires are between 60 percent and 80 percent contained.

“What we do is postfire risk management,” she said. “We don’t provide rehabilitation for the damages caused by fires or repair what was burned, but we try to predict and manage what might happen after the fire.”

A critical component of managing the effect of debris flow is to know when and where it may happen next. That’s where the U.S. Geological Survey, or USGS, involvement begins.

Faster and better predictions

The USGS uses predictive models to estimate the probability and size of debris flows that may occur in response to a storm.

“There was a time when it took us almost a month to get assessments out to our customers,” said Dennis Staley, a research physical scientist at the USGS.

That timetable has since changed. “Now we’re able to turn around results in just a few days,” Staley said.

Staley and his team produce maps based on models derived from data, such as burn severity, collected from recent wildfires. These models take into account the combined effects of storm rainfall conditions, terrain and soil properties, and the area recently burned.

For Luehring, the USGS is a valuable resource that can accommodate BAER’s short timeframe.

“Whether it’s the State emergency agencies, Homeland Security, or other emergency response entities like FEMA [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] who’re in charge of public protection, the USGS provides information that helps them do their job fast,” said Luehring.

To gather all the necessary data, the USGS works alongside agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Resource Conservation Service, the National Weather Service, U.S. Department of Interior land management agencies, and many other public and private groups.

In 2015, the USGS completed 35 hazard assessments, fulfilling all BAER Team requests for major fires that year.

“We’re helping out groups that need it, and we’re doing this as a public service,” said Staley. “We took a pretty clunky process and turned it into something efficient.”

Case study: Collaboration at work

In 2014, a fire broke out in the Silverado Canyons of the Cleveland National Forest in Southern California.

The fire burned about 1,600 acres of land. Evacuations affected about 217 homes, according to news reports.

At the request of the U.S. Forest Service, the USGS developed a debris flow hazard map that helped Forest Service geologists identify at least five homes in the Silverado Canyon, and an unnamed watershed, that were in danger of debris flow.

Emergency response agencies were alerted and advised to conduct additional evaluations and warn communities in the at-risk area of potential flood and debris flows.

Linda Thrasybule writes for the United States Geological Survey.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Lake County Animal Care and Control has a new mix of big and little dogs waiting for their new homes this week.

The dogs available this week include mixes of American Staffordshire Terrier, Australian Kelpie, border collie, boxer, fox terrier, German Shorthaired Pointer, Labrador Retriever, mastiff, pit bull, Pomeranian, poodle and shepherd.

Dogs that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed, microchipped and, if old enough, given a rabies shot and county license before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets hoping you'll choose them.

The following dogs at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (additional dogs on the animal control Web site not listed are still “on hold”).

Pomeranian mix

This male Pomeranian mix has a long red and black coat.

He’s in kennel No. 2, ID No. 7224.

‘Blanco’

“Blanco” is a male poodle with a curly white coat.

He’s in kennel No. 4, ID No. 7228.

Female shepherd mix

This female shepherd mix has a medium-length black and tan coat.

She’s in kennel No. 6, ID No. 7217.

‘Luke’

“Luke” is a male German Shorthaired Pointer mix with a short black and white coat.

Shelter staff said he is a big, young, happy, bouncy boy would will be a lot of fun for an active family that is willing to include him in their activities. He would benefit from training classes for basic manners. He does well with other dogs that tolerate his level of play, but would do best in a home with no small dogs or cats due to his size and energy level.

He’s in kennel No. 7, ID No. 7057.

Australian Kelpie-fox terrier

This female Australian Kelpie-fox terrier has a medium-length black and white coat.

She’s in kennel No. 8, ID No. 7213.

American Staffordshire Terrier-mastiff

This male American Staffordshire Terrier-mastiff has a short black and brown coat.

He’s in kennel No. 11, ID No. 7225.

Female pit bull terrier

This female pit bull terrier mix has a short gray and white coat.

She’s in kennel No. 12, ID No. 7218.

‘Trixie’

“Trixie” is a female boxer-Labrador Retriever mix.

She has a short tan coat with white markings, and has already been spayed.

Shelter staff said she is very bouncy and playful needs an energetic family that will give her lots of exercise and guidance. Trixie does well with other dogs her size that will tolerate her playfulness. She would do best in a home with no small dogs, cats or livestock,and has great manners.

She’s in kennel No. 17, ID No. 7036.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, or Lake County News, @LakeCoNews.

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