The Pony Express

The Pony Express was a system of rapid mail transportation by relays of horses that operated from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, from April 1860 to late October 1861. The service was operated by The Leavenworth & Pike's Peak Express Company by William H. Russell, Alexander Majors and William B. Waddell and was later known as the Pony Express.

Buffalo Bill Cody and Wild Bill Hickok were Pony Express riders in their youth. The system provided an important mail link with the West, but it was a financial failure and became obsolete after 18 months with the completion of the transcontinental telegraph system.