What was the Pony Express?
The Pony Express was a mail delivery system that was instituted in April of 1860. It only lasted 18 months until October of 1861, during which time riders traversed over 600,000 miles (965,600 kilometers) of rugged, dangerous terrain. The owners of the Pony Express employed a total of 183 riders during the course of its entire operation. From the very onset, the purpose of the Pony Express was to create the speediest and most efficient mail delivery system between two vital transportation points: St. Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California. The creators of the Pony Express hoped to obtain the government’s million-dollar mail contract servicing the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company by promoting a central route of mail travel. The Pony Express operated at all times, 24 hours a day, year-round. A relay system of horses and riders was a fundamental aspect of the efficient operation of the Pony Express. Riders changed horses every ten miles (16 km) or so and man
The Pony Express was a mail service that operated between Saint Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California, during 1860 and 1861. After gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill near Sacramento in 1849, the population of California rose so rapidly that the territory qualified for statehood by 1850. William Russell, William Waddell, and Alexander Majors founded the Pony Express to compete with the regular mail delivery, which took six months by ship (to reach the West Coast from the East Coast ships had to travel around the southernmost tip of South America) and three weeks to cross the West overland by stagecoach. The Pony Express employed lightweight young men (who weighed a maximum 120 pounds [54 kilograms]) to carry mail on horseback using specially designed saddles and saddlebags. The 1,966-mile (3,163-kilometer) route crossed Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California. At relay stations…
The Pony Express began in April 3, 1860, went until October 1861. It was a relay of mail carriers riding horseback on a trail nearly 2,000 miles. It was the fastest way to deliver mail between St..Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California. It took between 7 and 8 days to complete the journey. It cost $5 per half-ounce package. The Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company hoped the Pony Express would help them win the Million-dollar government mail contract. The completion of the telegraph line on October 24, 1861 ended the need for the Pony Express. The Pony Express ran all day and night through summer and winter. There were only 183 men that rode for the Pony Express. The average rider was 20, the youngest rider was 11 and the oldest rider was in his mid 40s. They usually weighed around 120 pounds. They were paid $100 per month. Johnny Fry was the first westbound rider from St. .Joseph. Billy Hamilton was the first eastbound rider from Sacramento. Riders got a new
The Pony Express was a fast mail service crossing the North American continent from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, from April 1860 to October 1861. Since 1866 until 1990, the Pony Express logo was used in security business. Presently, “Pony Express” is a trademark for postal services in Russia (by Freight Link) and US (by the United States Postal Service).
