1860 Pony Express & Westward Expansion

The Pony Express occupies a unique place in American popular culture, having appeared in numerous films and television shows. However, few realize that the Pony Express was a shortlived and expensive service inaccessible to the vast majority of Americans. When first introduced in April 1860, a letter carried via Pony Express cost $5—the equivalent of over $150 in 2022. By October 1861, the cheaper and faster transcontinental telegraph greatly reduced the need for such a service. Therefore, it is perhaps most important to view the Pony Express for the hope and promise it represented to an America on the brink of war—the potential for the rapid, year-round conveyance of mail from coast to coast. Despite its brief duration and the relatively small amount of mail carried by its riders across the American West, the Pony Express remains one of the most significant moments in the development of the American post office.

Of the approximately 250 Pony Express covers that exist today, these three are particularly significant: one carried on the first eastbound trip of the Pony Express (top right), one addressed to Abraham Lincoln (left), and one with a pro-Union patriotic illustration (bottom right).