20.12.06

F I R S TP R E V442NEXTLAST

Hitching Post, Pony Express Terminus
This hitching post marks the spot where the Pony Express terminated. The 1,965 mile ride from Missouri to Sacramento ended in a ferry ride to here, the offices of 'Russell, Majors, and Waddell' founders and owners of the Pony Express. The Express cut the time to send mail via Panama from 30 days, to just 10 days. The Express was put out of business in October of 1861 by the telegraph. In its 19 months of operation only one batch of mail was lost when the rider was shot down by Native Americans.

In the 1860s this corner was a busy hub of business in San Francisco with the California headquarters of the Hudson Bay Company as well as the First U.S. Branch Mint located right here.
[ MAP E-15 ]


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