Cody began working as a courier, carrying messages by horseback for Majors and Russell, a freight company (via Wyoming History). His runs were between Leavenworth, Kansas (company headquarters) and the telegraph office in Fort Leavenworth, approximately three miles away. This company grew into Russell, Majors, and Waddell, the same company that started the Pony Express. Cody lore claims that he was recruited to make runs for the 76-mile Pony Express route that ran from modern-day Casper, Wyoming to Three Crossings, following the Sweetwater River.
Cody recalls his time with the Pony Express in his book "An Autobiography of Buffalo Bill." He wrote of attacks on him and his horse by local Indigenous people, exposure to severe weather, and other hazards of the job he faced on a day-to-day basis. While this book is the only written verification for Cody being a Pony Express rider, many historians will defend the claims contained therein.
Adding to the case for Cody telling the truth about his Pony Express rides are the founders and owners of the company themselves, Russell, Majors, and Waddell. Throughout the run of Cody's Wild West show, not one of the owners ever denied that Cody was in their employ, says True West Magazine.
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