Pony Express

In March 1860, western newspapers ran the following ad:

Pony Express A new company that promised to carry mail from Missouri to California in only ten days. They built relay stations about every ten miles along the route. At each station, a rider jumped off his weary horse and mounted a fresh pony. After changing horses about 8 times, the mail was handed to a new rider.

Dangers Along the Route Most dangerous area was the Utah Territory. –Paiute Indians thought riders were a threat to their hunting grounds and would lead to more settlement. –Indians burned stations and killed the station keepers.

The Telegraph Arrives 1861: Pony Express comes to an end. Telegraph companies had hired men to cut down trees and place tall, strong wooden poles in the ground from Omaha, Nebraska, to San Francisco, California. The first message sent over the wire from Salt Lake City said, –“Utah…is firm for the Constitution and laws of our once happy country.” -Brigham Young Two days later, the Pony Express officially ended.

Why did the Pony Express die once the telegraph lines were completed?