The Pony Express started here at 2:45 a.m. on April 4, 1860, when Sam Hamilton galloped into a blinding rainstorm on the first lap of the 1,966-mile trip to St. Joseph, Missouri. During its 18-month existence, its riders and 500 ponies carried 35,000 pieces of mail with the loss of but one pouch. Founded by Russell, Majors and Waddell, the venture ended California’s isolation from the rest of the Union.