On the evening of April 3, 1860, a lone rider set out on horseback from St. Joseph, Missouri, carrying a mochila (backpack) crammed full of 49 letters, five private telegrams, and some newspapers. Ten days later, at 1:00 a.m. on April 14, the package was finally delivered by another rider to its destination in San Francisco, California. In addition to the mailbag, the Pony Express riders carried two things: a Bible, and a gun.