How many riders died in the line of duty?
• How much mail was lost? • Did the Pony Express brand their horses? • What was the distance between stations? • How fast did the horses run? • What was the cost to mail a letter in today’s dollar> • Was Frank T. Hopkins a Pony Express Rider? • What was the motto of the Pony Express? Question: Where does the expression Express Mail, which is know all over the world actually come from? Was this introduced with the Pony Express, or are the origins much older than that? Answer: The word “express” is most frequently used with the idea of something done with a definite purpose. The term “express train,” now meaning one that travels at a high speed over long distances with few intermediate stoppages, was, in the early days of railways, applied to what is now usually called a ” special,” i.e. a train not running according to the ordinary time-tables of the railway company, but for some specific purpose, or engaged by a private person. About 1845 this term became used for a train running to a
