On Tuesday, I visited the Pony Express Home Station in Marysville, KS, This was the first station west of St. Joseph, MO, where a rider could get some sleep while passing the mail onto another rider who would continue the journey. The young rider had already changed horses about 10 times. In ten days, the mail would make it to Sacramento, CA by horseback and then by boat to San Francisco.The Pony Express operation only lasted 18 months, as the transcontinental telegraph was completed by late 1961, soon to be followed by the transcontinental railroad.
The Pony Express charged $5 per half-ounce in 1860, about $85 in today's money. That sure makes our current postage seem like a real bargain.
Warmest regards, Gus
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