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Pony Express
Isolated Californians wanted news! Four weeks by sea and three weeks by stagecoach across Texas was just too slow. Russell, Majors & Wendell, a Kansas freighting firm, had the solution: Up-to-date news over the Central route in only ten days via a Pony Express.
On April 3, 1860, their colorful venture began. Youthful horsemen raced 1,966 miles between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California, carrying 20 pounds of letters at $5 per half ounce. Changing horses every 12 miles, they switched the mail mochila eight times during an average run. In mid-April, 1861, Wells Fargo stepped in to run the route west of Salt Lake City and printed $2-per-half-ounce stamps to reflect a reduced rate. On October 25, 1861, the Overland Telegraph ended the Pony Express, but not its legend. During its eighteen months, riders had carried 35,000 letters, two-thirds going east.
Wells Fargo's role:
In April 1861, Wells, Fargo & Co. took over operation of the Pony route west of Salt Lake City, Utah. The Central Overland California & Pike's Peak Express continued to operate the Pony route east of that point. Wells Fargo also set the rates, printed stamps, and provided oversight for the whole route.
Wells Fargo reduced postage prices to $2 per half ounce, then $1, and printed stamps used over the entire line. At these prices, California businesses and newspapers became regular customers.
With the coming of the Civil War, the Overland Mail Company, dominated by Wells Fargo, relocated its stagecoach route away from the south and southwest, and on July 1, 1861, commenced operations along the central route. Its new government mail contract required a semi-weekly Pony Express.
Wells Fargo reduced the postage to $1 per half ounce, and issued new stamps for eastbound mail. From its New York office, Wells Fargo provided $1 franked (with pre-printed postage) envelopes, and $1 "garter" design stamps for overweight letters, covering westbound charges.
Across the country in 10 days!
The Pony Express -- the very words bring up visions of blindingly-fast riders on horseback, galloping in a cloud of dust across the western frontier.
From April 1860 to October 1861, Pony Express riders carried mail 1,900 miles between Missouri and California in a lightning-fast ten days. For its last six months in 1861, Wells, Fargo & Co. played a role in operating this vital mail service and larger-than-life western legend.
Riders, chosen for their fast riding, daring and light weight, each rode 75-mile segments of the route between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California, changing horses five times at stations along the way. |