Pony express was a mail delivery service that operated between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California, in 1860 and 1861. The pony express consisted of relays of men riding fast ponies or horses that carried letters and small packages across a 1,966-mile (3,164-kilometer) trail. These riders could deliver mail to California in 10 days or less, faster than any other mail service of that time. Previously, mail traveled between California and areas east of the Mississippi River only by boat or stagecoach. A one-way delivery between the farthest points took more than three weeks.
Early in 1860, Senator William M. Gwin of California and William H. Russell, a Missouri businessman, agreed to establish an express mail service between St. Joseph and the west coast. St. Joseph then served as the western terminal of the nation’s railroad system. Russell’s large freighting firm—Russell, Majors, and Waddell—backed the project.
Russell and his associates collected about 400 fast horses, hired approximately 80 riders, and established 190 pony express stations. These stations stood 10 to 15 miles (16 to 24 kilometers) apart. The pony express route ran along the Platte River in what is now Nebraska, to South Pass and Fort Bridger, both now in Wyoming. Then it turned south to the Great Salt Lake. South of Salt Lake City, it headed west across the salt desert to the Sierra Nevada. The pony express began its first run on April 3, 1860. At first, it charged $5 to send half an ounce (14 grams) of mail. The rate later fell to $1 for half an ounce.
Only young, lightweight men served as pony express riders. Many of them were teen-agers. A day’s work consisted of a trip of 75 miles (121 kilometers) or more. The rider mounted a fresh horse at each station along the trail. He ended his workday when he reached a home station, where another rider took his place. Pony express riders were paid from $100 to $150 a month.
The rider carried mail in a specially designed leather saddlebag. The saddlebag fit over the saddle, and only the rider’s weight held it in place. As a result, the rider could change horses in about two minutes.
The pony express typically forwarded mail at a rate of more than 200 miles (321 kilometers) a day. The fastest run between St. Joseph and Sacramento came in March 1861. That month, a copy of President Abraham Lincoln’s first address to Congress arrived in Sacramento just 7 days and 17 hours after leaving St. Joseph.
The pony express ran day and night. Riders worked in all kinds of weather and faced the threat of Indian attacks. Most of the riders carried a pair of pistols and a knife. Only one rider in the history of the pony express was killed by Indians.
The transcontinental telegraph ended the major need for the pony express. It opened on Oct. 24, 1861, and the pony express officially closed two days later. Russell’s freighting firm lost more than $100,000 on the pony express.
