文章基本信息

标题：What a great idea
作者：Robert Ross
期刊名称：Southern Living
印刷版ISSN：0038-4305
出版年度：1997
卷号：Apr 1997
出版社：Southern Progress Corp.

What a great idea

Robert Ross

The Pony Express? On April 3,1860, the Pony Express was launched. You could send your letter from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, in 10 days.

Young boys and small men (the average age was 18) rode fast horses. Moving like the wind, they crossed about 2,000 miles. That's almost 250 miles a day through blizzards, Indian uprisings, and assaults from wolves and mountain lions.

Your 1/2-ounce letter cost $5. Each of the 190 Pony Express stations stabled fresh steeds. "Buffalo Bill" Cody was a rider, as was "Wild Bill" Hickok. Each horseman received a Bible and was prohibited from drinking and swearing.

It looked like a great idea-faster than stagecoach or railroad. But in 18 months it was all over. That was when Western Union finished the first transcontinental telegraph line and the Civil War called.

Sigh.