The Pony Express

The Pony Express began in Missouri in April 1860. The purpose was to carry mail back and forth to frontier communities between St Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California. 

The route was approximately 2000 miles long, had 190 stations where riders changed horses, or new riders took over the next leg of the trip. The mail could make the trip in about 10 days, and each rider generally rode 75-100 miles, using 5 to 10 different horses.

A map of the trail - a close-up view shows the express stations

In St Joseph, the rider would wait for the ferry to signal it was pulling into the dock.

Then, the first rider would head out to catch the ferry across the Missouri to begin their run to the west.

The saddles had a "mochila", a leather over-blanket  that had one or more pockets for the mail, and could be lifted from one saddled horse to the next in seconds. 

Buffalo Bill Cody reportedly rode for the Pony Express when he was 14.  He went on to memorialize the service and bring the Wild West to the public with his Wild West shows.

It cost $5.00 to mail a letter that weighed 1/2 ounce. 

Ouch! That was pretty expensive, even for today!

$5 in 1860's supposedly is equivalent to $180 today!

Eighteen months after the Pony Express began the transcontinental telegraph was completed and communication from one coast to another could be completed in a matter of minutes. The Pony Express was shut down.