![]() Russell, Majors, and Waddell organized and put together the Pony Express in two months in the winter of 1860. The founders of the Pony Express hoped to win an exclusive government mail contract, but that did not come about. The initial price was 25000% higher than the price of mail through the normal mail service, which was $0.02. The initial price was set at $5 per 1⁄ 2 ounce (14 g), then $2.50, and by July 1861 to $1. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California, with letters delivered in 10 days, which many said was impossible. īy using a short route and mounted riders rather than traditional stagecoaches, they proposed to establish a fast mail service between St. They held government contracts for delivering army supplies to the western frontier, and Russell had a similar idea for contracts with the U.S. In 1855, they took on a new partner, Alexander Majors, and founded the company of Russell, Majors & Waddell. After Morehead was bought out and moved to Leavenworth to enter the mercantile business, Waddell merged his company with Russell's, changing the name to Waddell & Russell. Morehead took the proposal for the Pony Express to President Buchanan. Waddell was co-owner of the firm Morehead, Waddell & Co. Russell was a prominent businessman, well respected among his peers and the community. At the peak of the operations, they employed 6,000 men, owned 75,000 oxen, thousands of wagons, and warehouses, plus a sawmill, a meatpacking plant, a bank, and an insurance company. They were already in the freighting and drayage business. Waddell were the three founders of the Pony Express. William Russell, Alexander Majors, and William B. The demand for a faster way to get the mail and other communications to and from this westernmost state became even greater as the American Civil War approached. The prospect of California and its national role became the source of bitter partisan debate in Congress. By 1860, the population had grown to 380,000. By 1850, California entered the Union as a free state. After gold was discovered there in 1848, thousands of prospectors, investors, and businessmen made their way to California, at that time a new territory of the U.S. The idea of having a fast mail route to the Pacific Coast was prompted largely by California's newfound prominence and its rapidly growing population. Its reliance on the ability and endurance of hardy riders and fast horses was seen as evidence of rugged American individualism of the frontier times. When replaced by the telegraph, the Pony Express quickly became romanticized and became part of the lore of the American West. Nevertheless, it demonstrated that a unified transcontinental system of communications could be established and operated year-round. state of California with the rest of the United States.ĭespite a heavy subsidy, the Pony Express was not a financial success and went bankrupt in 18 months, when a faster telegraph service was established. It became the west's most direct means of east–west communication before the first transcontinental telegraph was established (October 24, 1861), and was vital for tying the new U.S. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company.ĭuring its 18 months of operation, the Pony Express reduced the time for messages to travel between the east and west US coast to about 10 days. It operated from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861, between Missouri and California. ![]() If you choose to do business with this business, please let the business know that you contacted BBB for a BBB Business Profile.Īs a matter of policy, BBB does not endorse any product, service or business.The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders. BBB Business Profiles are subject to change at any time. When considering complaint information, please take into account the company's size and volume of transactions, and understand that the nature of complaints and a firm's responses to them are often more important than the number of complaints.īBB Business Profiles generally cover a three-year reporting period. However, BBB does not verify the accuracy of information provided by third parties, and does not guarantee the accuracy of any information in Business Profiles. BBB asks third parties who publish complaints, reviews and/or responses on this website to affirm that the information provided is accurate. BBB Business Profiles may not be reproduced for sales or promotional purposes.īBB Business Profiles are provided solely to assist you in exercising your own best judgment. ![]()
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