The Pony Express Lasted Only 18 Months

Few things are more closely tied to the Old West than the Pony Express, yet it barely lasted a year and a half. The U.S. National Park Service states that it was in operation for only 18 months, between April 1860 and October 1861. While it ran, it was fast. Between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California, the riders covered more than 1,800 miles in 10 days, and could deliver a letter faster than ever before. Its replacement was already on the way. About ten weeks after the Pony Express began operations, Congress authorized a bill to subsidize the building of a transcontinental telegraph line. On October 26, 1861, San Francisco was in direct contact with New York City, the same month the Pony Express ended.