One hundred sixty-five years ago on this date in 1860, the Pony Express launched its first mail run from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, covering 1,900 miles in about 10 days—a feat that slashed communication time across the U.S. just before the Civil War.
It relied on young riders who swapped horses at 157 relay stations and braved blizzards, bandits, and attacks by Native tribes to deliver 34,753 letters over 18 months, losing only one bag across 616,000 miles.
Starting with 49 letters and newspapers, including Lincoln’s inaugural address, it charged $5 per half-ounce and used 400+ horses, but it bled money—$200,000 to start, $7 million today, and no profit. The service ran 308 trips until October 24, 1861, when the transcontinental telegraph ended its reign, leaving riders jobless two days later.
It was a romantic piece of Western history, but little more. By the way, a few months ago, a person sent me a letter from Columbus, a distance of 151 miles. It took the USPS 10 days to get the letter to me. The Pony Express would have taken less than a day, and even during my mountain hiking days, I could have beaten the USPS.
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