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. It became the west’s most direct means of east-west communication before the telegraph and was vital for tying California closely with the Union just before the American Civil War.
The Pony Express was an outgrowth of the Leavenworth & Pike’s Peak Express Company of 1849 which in 1850 became the Central Overland California & Pike’s Peak Express Company. This firm was founded by William H. Russell, Alexander Majors, and William B. Waddell.[1]
The original fast mail services had messages carried by horseback riders in relay across the prairies, plains, deserts, and mountains of the Western United States. For its 18 months of operation, it briefly reduced the time for mail to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to about ten days.[2]
By having riders travel a shorter route and using mounted riders rather than stagecoaches, the founders of the Pony Express hoped to establish their service as a faster and more reliable conduit for the mail and win an exclusive government mail contract. Pony Express demonstrated that a unified transcontinental system could be built and operated continuously year round. Since its replacement by the telegraph, the Pony Express has become part of the lore of the American West. Its reliance on the ability and endurance of individual riders and horses over technological innovation was part of “American rugged individualism.”
Its route has been designated the Pony Express National Historic Trail. Approximately 120 historic sites along the trail may eventually be open to the public, including 50 stations or station ruins.[3]
From 1866 until 1890, the Pony Express logo was used by Wells Fargo, which provided secure mail and freight services. The United States Postal Service (USPS) uses “Pony Express” as a trademark for postal services in the US. Freight Link international courier services, based in Russia, adopted the Pony Express trademark and a logo similar to that of the USPS.
April 1, 2013 will be the Pony Express’ 150th anniversary. Located in St. Joseph, Missouri, the Patee House Museum, which was the Pony Express’ headquarters, will be hosting events celebrating the anniversary. Christopher Corbett, author of Orphans Preferred: The Twisted Truth and Lasting Legend of the Pony Express, will be speaking about his book and the history of the Pony Express.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pony_Express
