How Were Pony Express Riders Recruited?

The Pony Express was a short-lived method of delivering mail by horseback, from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, a distance of almost 2,000 miles. It lasted just 18 months, until the telegraph line across the U.S. was completed in 1861.
One of the most famous advertisements in U.S. history, placed in a California newspaper, read: "Wanted. Young, skinny, wiry fellows. Not over 18. Must be expert riders. Willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred."
Another ad, in the Midwest, read: "Men wanted -- The undersigned wishes to hire ten or a dozen men, familiar with the management of horses, as riders on the Overland Express Route via Salt Lake City [Utah]. Wages $50 per month and found." Applicants were directed to reply to a William W. Finney.
The final pool of 80-100 riders ranged from age 11 to mid-40s. They could not weigh more than 125 pounds, and had to have the endurance to  ride 75-100 miles a day. Eventually, they were paid $100 per month -- good money at the time.
One of the most famous Pony Express riders was William "Wild Bill" Hickock, who went on to create the most famous Wild West shows of the era.