Thursday, November 4, 2010

The Pony Express


Imagine waiting for your mail to arrive by Pony Express. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the famous mail service that crossed the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains. We think it would have been quite romantic to have received a love-letter carried by horseback over prairies and plains—or to have heard about Lincoln's Inaugural Address from word delivered by the Pony Express.


The Pony Express Route: From St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California

A few facts, courtesy of American West:

The Pony Express only ran for 18 months between April 1860 - October 1861

The pay for riders was $100.00 per month

New riders took over every 75 to 100 miles in a relay

Riders got a fresh horse every 15 miles

Horses traveled about 10 miles an hour

400 horses were purchased to stock the Pony Express route

There were approximately 165 stations across the 2,000-mile route

The Pony Express ran day and night, summer and winter

An advertisement for riders ran in a California newspaper and read:

"Wanted. Young, skinny, wiry fellows. Not over 18. Must be expert riders. Willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred."


The barking dogs and other daily dangers faced by our friendly neighborhood postal worker seem like a walk in the park by comparison! To thank these young men for their commitment and bravery in blazing the way to deliver our mail, we encourage everyone to write a letter and mail it to a friend or family member today!

2 comments:

  1. This is so interesting and neat! Thank you so much for posting it! I HAD to share it on our blog, too! Thank you, again!

    http://blog.finestationery.com/2010/11/happy-150th-pony-express.html

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  2. Hi Jen, we thought it was so fun to learn more about the PE, and we are delighted that you've shared the post with your readers!! Have a great day ; ).

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