- Joined
- May 12, 2010
- Location
- Now Florida but always a Kentuckian
Johnny Fry was born in 1840 in Bourbon County, Kentucky. He was the son of John and Mary Fry. In 1857 Johnny and his mother and her then husband, Benjamin Wells went to Rushville, Missouri to live.
Johnny was the first "official" westbound rider of the Pony Express. He weighted less than 120 pounds and was assigned to the first leg of the westbound route, delivering mail from the stables in St. Joseph, Missouri before carrying it to Seneca, Kansas.
When the Pont Express went out of business in 1861, Johnny Fry joined the Union Army. He was killed by Quantrill's Raiders in the Battle of Baxter Springs.
From Article: "Pony Express Riders Cover 1,950 Miles In Ten Days", "The Kentucky Explorer", April 2017.
Johnny was the first "official" westbound rider of the Pony Express. He weighted less than 120 pounds and was assigned to the first leg of the westbound route, delivering mail from the stables in St. Joseph, Missouri before carrying it to Seneca, Kansas.
When the Pont Express went out of business in 1861, Johnny Fry joined the Union Army. He was killed by Quantrill's Raiders in the Battle of Baxter Springs.
From Article: "Pony Express Riders Cover 1,950 Miles In Ten Days", "The Kentucky Explorer", April 2017.