“The ponies with their riders traveled between the town of St. Joseph, Missouri, and San Francisco, a distance of nearly two thousand miles. About eighty riders and over four hundred horses were needed.
“The riders rode day and night, stopping only to change horses at the stations along the route. Every seventy-five miles the mail was turned over to a fresh rider on a fresh horse, who carried it on to the next stopping place. The mail was carried in a sort of blanket with pockets in the corners which were locked and unlocked by the station keepers.
“At noon on April 3, 1860, the start was made from each end of the line. The first trip was made in ten days. Later, it took but eight or nine days. President Lincoln’s first inaugural address was carried in seven days and seventeen hours.
“For some time the postage was five dollars for a half ounce, but later it was reduced to one dollar.
“The longest ride was made by William F. Cody, afterwards known as ‘Buffalo Bill,’ who was then but fifteen years of age. The boy rode steadily for nearly thirty-six hours, covering a distance of three hundred and eighty miles. During all of that long ride he stopped for only one meal.
“The Pony Express was kept up for less than two years, for in October, 1861, a telegraph line connecting the East with the West was finished, making it easy to send messages across the continent by wire.”
V
THE MAILS OF TO-DAY
“The postal service has grown and improved wonderfully in our country,” continued grandpa. “At first the mail was carried by men on horseback, then by stage-coaches, and now by trains.
“Formerly, people went to the nearest postoffice for their mail; now, in all cities, the mail is delivered by postmen, just as the letter from Uncle Charles was delivered to-day.
“In almost all parts of the country there is a rural free delivery. By the roadside in front of each farmer’s house is a mail-box, having the name of the owner upon it.