April 1860: A New Technology Emerges

Today, we can send messages faster than we can write them. Facebook and Twitter have changed communication into a constant, global dialog. We’ve come a long way since April, 1860, when the new breakthrough in fast communication was a kid on a horse. What did high speed communication look like then? It looked something like this:

“Wanted: Young, skinny, wiry fellows not over eighteen. Must be expert riders, willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred.” –April 1860 Ad for Riders

Be a part of our team that will go down in the record books! Send mail cross country in only 10 days!

Our first rider has delivered mail from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California in a record 9 days and 23 hours! The route travels through Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada into the great state of California. That is about 1,900 miles of perilous territory, so how can one man and one horse cover that much ground in 10 days? Here is the answer, my friends: Relay stations are built and staffed 10-15 miles apart where riders change horses. Home stations are 90-120 miles apart where riders change and rest.

This is how we deliver the mail faster than anyone or anything has ever done before!