Week 6 EOTO Key Post

The Pony Express is a classic American hallmark that helped connect the East and West coasts of the country from April 1860 to October 1861 in a relatively quick and effective manner for the first time. Founded by William H. Russell, Alexander Majors and William B. Waddell, and originally called the “Leavenworth and Pike’s Peak Express Company”, the Pony Express was a system of messages that were carried on horseback, which became the quickest way to send a message across a long distance. The trail that the Pony Express used stretched from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California, a distance that was almost 2,000 miles long. But the most impressive part was that it only took about 10 days for mail to get from one end of the trail to the other. This was accomplished by employing a system of swapping out horses and riders at stations along the trail. In total, there were about 190 stations spread throughout the trail, and would swap out a rider's horse every 10-15 miles to keep them well rested and fast, and would swap out riders every 75-100 miles so the mail would always be on move. Surprisingly, this system was also one of the most effective ways to ensure mail reached its destination, as only 1 parcel of mail ever went missing during the entire history of the Pony Express. This system was the greatest strength of the Pony Express, but it was also its greatest drawback, as it became extremely expensive to pay the riders for the grueling long rides and having to be available at all times, rain or shine, as well as the stations for providing food and lodging for horses and riders. So while the Pony Express was a highly effective way to transport mail, it was also a very inefficient method that would not last long. After only 18 months of operation, the Pony Express was shut down and replaced by the telegraph lines constructed by the U.S. government, which could instantly transport messages anywhere in the country at a fraction of the cost. Though it was short lived, the Pony Express became a staple of the Old West and marked the end of an era for the American midwest.

http://www.nps.gov/poex/learn/historyculture/index.htm