While on a promotional trip to Washington to help his ailing freight line, Russell and Senator William Gwin of California discussed the possibilities of an Express Mail Company to deliver mail to California by the Central Route along the Oregon and California Trail. Russell owned a stage and freight company based in Leavenworth, Kansas (with partners A. The solution to this problem came from a businessman of vision, William Russell. News was very slow in reaching eager California readers, and a standing joke of the time was that events in the East had already been forgotten by the time they were known by those out West. With the discovery of gold in California in 1848, and the increasing political tensions of the 1850s which led to the Civil War, it became imperative to keep the far West in the Union by providing a more dependable source of information from the East. Prior to the Coach and Pony Express mail delivery, time from the east to the west-by ship down the Gulf of Mexico, across Panama by mule, then by ship again up to San Francisco-might take six weeks, and if the winds were off, eight weeks. However, approximately 120 historic sites may eventually be available to the public, including 50 existing Pony Express stations or station ruins.The origins and the reason for a horse-and-rider mail delivery system between east and west can be summed up in two words: slow mail. Short pristine segments, believed to be traces of the original trail, can be seen only in Utah and California. In the western states, the majority of the trail has been converted, over the years, to double track dirt roads. Along many segments, the trail's actual route and exact length are matters of conjecture. Most of the original trail has been obliterated either by time or human activities. On that day the Pony Express was officially terminated, but it was not until November that the last letters completed their journey over the route. On October 26, 1861, San Francisco was in direct contact with New York City. Joseph to Sacramento, but telegrams were carried only between the rapidly advancing wire ends. Letters and newspapers were carried the entire length of the line from St. While the lines were under construction the Pony Express operated as usual. The passage of the bill resulted in the incorporation of the Overland Telegraph Company of California and the Pacific Telegraph Company of Nebraska. 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. The creation of the Leavenworth & Pike's Peak Express Company by William H. This need was partially filled by outfits such as the Butterfield Overland Mail Service starting in 1857 and private carriers in following years.īut when postmaster general Joseph Holt scaled back overland mail service to California and the central region of the country in 1858, an even greater need for mail arose. In the era before electronic communication, the Pony Express was the thread that tied East to West.Īs a result of the 1849 Gold Rush, the 1847 Mormon exodus to Utah and the thousands who moved west on the Oregon Trail starting in the 1840s, the need for a fast mail service beyond the Rocky Mountains became obvious. In operation for only 18 months between April 1860 and October 1861, the Pony Express nevertheless has become synonymous with the Old West. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California the Pony Express could deliver a letter faster than ever before. More than 1,800 miles in 10 days! From St.
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