PONY EXPRESS

in U.S. history, system of mail delivery by continuous horse and rider relays between St. Joseph, Mo., and Sacramento, Calif. (April 1860-October 1861). Although a financially disastrous, brief enterprise for the sponsoring firm of Russell, Majors, and Waddell, the Pony Express and its most famous riders, William ("Buffalo Bill") Cody and "Pony Bob" Haslam, gave rise to one of the most colourful episodes of the American West. The approximately 1,800-mile (2,897-kilometre) route normally required about 10 days to cover, with riders changing horses six to eight times between stations, of which there were 157. The service ceased with the completion of the transcontinental telegraph system.