Transportation
9
On this site, on April 3, 1860, a ferry carrying a horse and rider crossed the Missouri River to begin a 10 day, 1,966-mile mail journey to Sacramento, California. The race against time, the elements, and a hostile land captured the spirit of Americans, helped hold California for the Union, and proved a central overland route was possible. Operators William Russell, Alexander Majors, and William Waddell went broke without a government mail contract, and the telegraph replaced the Pony Express riders after 19 months of operation.
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St. Joseph, Missouri · United States
