Josh Brolin as Jimmy Hickok	Travis Fine as Ike McSwayne	Stephen Baldwin as William Cody
	Gregg Rainwater as Buck Cross
Don Franklin as Noah Dixon	Melissa Leo as Emma Shannon	Ty Miller as The Kid
		Yvonne Suhor as Lou McCloud

Young Riders

Set in the 1860's, just before the Civil War, The Young Riders focuses on the exploits of a group of Pony Express Riders based at a way station in Sweetwater, Nebraska. A former Texas Ranger named Aloysius "Teaspoon" Hunter heads the outfit. There were six riders at first: a quiet Southerner whom folks called The Kid (no relation to Billy The Kid); a half-white, half-Kiowa named Buck Cross and his friend Ike McSwain who is mute; Lou McCloud, a young woman who masquerades as a man to ride with the Pony Express, Jimmy Hickok, a cocky teen with a hair-trigger and William F. Cody, a savvy and overly confident rider with an extraordinary marksman's eye. The group was later joined by a free born black man named Noah Dixon.

If the names Hickok and Cody strike you as familiar, it is because the characters are based on legendary figures of the West -- Jimmy or James Butler Hickok would grow up to be feared lawman "Wild Bill" while Cody would later become the cowboy entertainer "Buffalo Bill." Another real life Western figure who shows up in later part of the series is the young Jesse James, before he becomes one of the most notorious outlaws of American history. Hickok and Cody are believed to have spent some years as riders for the company of Russell, Majors and Waddell, but they may never have met in real life.

The pilot episode was nominated for a cinematographic award in 1989 and won an Emmy for costumes. In August 1991, the Young Riders won an Emmy for its music. Many of the stories focused on issues of the time -- slavery and the impending Civil War -- while other episodes tackled timeless topics such as friendship, death, 'family' relationships and growing up.

From All about the Young Riders