On April 3, 1860, the Pony Express launched its first mail service between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California. Riders carried mail across nearly 2,000 miles of rugged terrain using a relay system of horses and stations. The goal was to speed up communication between the East and the rapidly growing West Coast. Although it operated for only about 18 months, the Pony Express captured the public imagination. It showed how far people were willing to go to shrink distances in a large country. The service ended once the transcontinental telegraph made its method obsolete.
