Waddell F. Smith, historian and collector, was the great grandson of William B. Waddell, member of freighting firm of Russell, Majors and Waddell, founders of Pony Express (1860). Smith retired from military service (1949) to devote time to study and promotion of Pony Express history. He settled in San Rafael, Calif. and organized a Pony Express History and Art Gallery. The Gallery became headquarters for the National Pony Express Centennial Association, of which Waddell Smith was President. In this capacity Smith organized and staged a reenactment of a Pony Express run (1960). He published "Stage Lines and Express Companies in California" (1965) and a number of pamphlets, such as "Pony Express versus Wells Fargo Express" (1966) The Papers contain the Pony Express Gallery Records as well as Smith's Pony Express scrapbook, research notes, writings and photographs.

Waddell F. Smith (1899-1970) was a great grandson of William B. Waddell, member of the freighting firm of Russell, Majors and Waddell, founders, owners and operators of the Pony Express. Smith retired from military service in 1949 and fulfilled his lifelong wish to study the history of the Pony Express and correct "misinterpretations of history" crediting Wells Fargo as taking over the Pony Express. He settled in San Rafael, Calif. where he created the Pony Express History and Art Gallery. The Gallery was a part-time headquarters for the Pony Express Centennial Association, of which Smith was founder and President. Waddell Smith wrote Stage Lines and Express Companies in California (1965) and a number of smaller works.

20 linear feet

Copyright is protected by the copyright law, chapter 17 of the U.S. Code. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections, General Library, University of California, Davis as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.

Collection is open for research.