Pony Express, mail service operating between Saint Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California, inaugurated on April 3, 1860, under the direction of the Central Overland California and Pike's Peak Express Company. At that time, regular mail delivery took up to three weeks to cross the continent. The Pony Express carried mail rapidly overland on horseback the nearly 2000 miles between St. Joseph and Sacramento; the schedule allowed ten days for the trip. The mail was then carried by boat …showed first 75 words of 289 total…

…showed last 75 words of 289 total…Pony Express service was discontinued in October 1861, after the Pacific Telegraph Company completed its line to San Francisco. The Pony Express was developed by William H. Russell, William B. Waddell, and Alexander Majors. Financially, the Pony Express was a failure, leading its founders to bankruptcy. However, the drama surrounding the Pony Express made it a part of the legend of the American West. Bibliography "Pony Express," Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2000 http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2000