What is the pony express?

From St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California the Pony Express could deliver a letter faster than ever before. In operation for only 18 months between April 1860 and October 1861, the Pony Express nevertheless has become synonymous with the Old West. read more

As the Pony Express Mail service existed only briefly in 1860 and 1861, there are consequently very few surviving examples of Pony Express mail. Also, contributing to the scarcity of surviving Pony Express mail is that the cost to send a 1 ⁄ 2-ounce (14 g) letter was $5.00 at the beginning, (about $130.00 to today's standards). read more

Although a financially disastrous brief enterprise, the Pony Express and its most famous riders, such as William (“Buffalo Bill”) Cody and Robert (“Pony Bob”) Haslam, captured the national imagination as one of the most daring and colourful episodes in the history of the American West. read more

On June 16, 1860, about ten weeks after the Pony Express began operations, Congress authorized the a bill instructing the Secretary of the Treasury to subsidize the building of a transcontinental telegraph line to connect the Missouri River and the Pacific Coast. read more