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| A herd of Pronghorn Antelope adjacent to the I-90 in Wyoming |
In this post, the author describes three historic figures that he learned share something amazing in common with each other. All three made their mark on history as they traveled along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Two are from the Old West. The other's exploits are more recent. Let's start by giving a little background on each of these three brave men in order of when they made their mark on history:
Hero No. 1
James Moore was born in Poland, Ohio, on May 18, 1840. In 1859, he moved west with his brother Charles to what was then known as the Nebraska Territory, and he was among the first to sign up as a rider for the newly established Pony Express.
It was a dangerous time to be making a living on the frontier. The Pike’s Peak Gold Rush of 1858–59 had brought a massive influx of would-be miners west from the East, and the sudden arrival of thousands of fortune seekers heightened tensions with the various Native peoples living in the region. For anyone traveling the trails, danger was never far away.
But the mail still had to get through.
Just after his 20th birthday, on June 8, 1860, he was carrying important federal government documents along his Pony Express route from Midway Station, Nebraska, to Julesburg, Colorado—a distance of roughly 140 miles. Because he was carrying government mail, getting the documents through quickly was especially important.
He completed his leg of the relay successfully, galloping into Julesburg only to learn that the eastbound mail was stalled. The rider who had been assigned to carry the mailbag back toward Midway Station had been killed by hostile Native Americans the previous day.
There was little time to think about it.
Without stopping for the rest and meal he had surely earned, he took the waiting mailbag, climbed back into the saddle, and turned a fresh mount east. He had already ridden 140 miles. Now he would ride the same distance all over again.
By the time he completed the 280-mile round trip, he had been in the saddle for less than 15 hours—an average speed of roughly 18 miles per hour.
For a 20-year-old Pony Express rider on the frontier, that was one extraordinary ride.
Later this young man and his brother Charles would go on to piece together the second largest ranch in the territory. A town would be named after him between Lusk and Torrington in Wyoming. He was buried in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
Hero No. 2
James Moore 2 was born in Hebron, Ohio, in 1849 and tried his hand at farming before enlisting in the U.S. Cavalry in 1871. He was assigned to Company B of the U.S. 7th Cavalry, commanded by George Armstrong Custer. Because of his experience as a farmer, he enlisted at the rank of farrier. His work with horses on the farm had developed skills that were highly valued by the cavalry.
The rank of farrier was created to recognize specialists responsible for keeping cavalry mounts shod and fit for service. Farriers were paid more than regular troopers, which may have helped attract Moore to the position. There were at least two farriers in every company. Although their primary responsibility was caring for the horses, they were also expected to fight alongside the rest of the company during campaigns. Like regular troopers, they were issued a carbine and a revolver.
On June 25, 1876, Company B was part of Custer's regiment as it approached the Little Bighorn Valley. However, the company was assigned to protect the pack train, which was at the rear of the column. Moore and his Company B comrades had an important responsibility because the pack train carried the food, equipment, and ammunition for the entire regiment. They spent much of their time coaxing the mules along the trail.
As Custer advanced toward the massive Lakota and Cheyenne village far ahead of the pack train, he divided the regiment into three battalions. He ordered Captain Frederick Benteen south with three companies to ensure that Native forces were not attempting to escape in that direction. He then ordered Major Marcus Reno and three companies to ride down into the valley and attack the village from the south. Custer, along with his remaining five companies, moved north along the ridges in an attempt to attack the village from the opposite direction.
Custer and his battalion never reached the valley. Instead, they were overwhelmed and wiped out on what became known as Last Stand Hill, approximately four miles from where Reno had begun his attack.
While Custer and the 221 men under his command were being annihilated, Reno retreated to the bluffs after losing roughly half of his force in the valley. There he joined Benteen, who had returned from his reconnaissance to the south without making contact with the enemy. Realizing the futility of attempting to reach Custer, Reno and Benteen decided to hold their position on the high ground. Later that afternoon, the pack train arrived with the critically needed ammunition and supplies.
Moore, the rest of Company B, Benteen's three companies, and Reno's surviving command hastily dug rifle pits around a shallow depression where the mules were picketed and a field hospital was established. For two days, they withstood attacks from a much larger force of Lakota and Cheyenne warriors. The site is now known as Reno-Benteen Hill.
James Moore survived the famous battle. When his five-year enlistment expired later that summer, he left the service and returned east.
Hero No. 3
Our contemporary James Moore was born in Calgary and grew up during the Sixties and Seventies watching Westerns on T.V. Much of his happy childhood was influenced by all things American but he also developed a fierce pride in being a.Canadian, notwithstanding the fact that his grandmother was born in Chicago.
When the vicious Trade War of 2026 came about, James Moore decided he would have to get involved. On September 08, 2026 just after Canada imposed counter-tariffs on the Americans, he invaded the United States. In his late model American-made SUV, he approached the border at Sweetgrass, Montana, wearing a smile and a Las Vegas Raiders ball cap. The ruse worked! He passed through the immigration checkpoint without raising suspicion. Then he raced down the I-15 to Great Falls keeping a close eye on the rearview mirror. Over the next couple of weeks he successfully opened up a salient encompassing 6 states, all the way down to Las Vegas where he was reinforced by airborne troops from his home base. The team then laid waste to sin city over an extended weekend following which everyone retreated back to Canada. There were no serious casualties but numerous brain cells were lost in the campaign.
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Hopefully you smiled when you read about Hero No. 3. He is of course the author of this blog. He did go on a road trip into the USA during the trade war but there was no deliberate plan to cause injury or damage. If anything, he was curious about how the average American felt towards their northern neighbours and he learned that they were not of the same mind as Donald Trump and his Administration. Honestly, on more than one occasion, Americans that our Hero met, apologized for the trade war and the insults that were directed at Canada.
The two historic James Moores were real and they came up as the author was researching some of the places he wanted to explore as the road trip unfolded. It is kind of cool how many guys named James Moore made their mark on history.
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| The grave of Pony Express Rider and rancher James Moore in Cheyenne, Wyoming |
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| Marker on Reno Benteen Hill, four miles south of where Custer’s five companies perished on Last Stsnd Hill |
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| What remains of a rifle pit on Reno Benteen Hill |
