April 3
PONY EXPRESS DAY
Pony Express mail service began this day in St. Joseph, Missouri. The year was 1860 and the first Pony Express rider was heading for California. The next day, another rider left Sacramento, California heading east for Missouri.
Each rider had a 75 to 100 mile run before a switch was made with another rider. The switch was made at one of 190 way stations along the route; each way station being about ten to fifteen miles apart.
The Pony Express riders delivered the mail within ten days (similar to our current snail mail) for postage paid of $5 per ounce.
This style of mail service became antiquated within a short two years, being put out to pasture by the advent of the overland telegraph.
Those Were the Days, the Today in History service from 440 International
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