News From: NPEA Missouri Division
Historically Yours: Pony Express cuts mail delivery time in half
In 1850, California joined the Union and a faster means of communication was needed between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California. Three businessmen — William Russell, Alexander Majors and William Waddell — came up with a plan to reduce the delivery time by more than half. Russell said by switching from stagecoaches to horseback, they could deliver mail between the two cities in 10 days. They were told it couldn’t be done, but they did it anyway.