Mailing and receiving is a common daily activity for a large number of people. However, there is a fascinating history behind this seemingly simple operation. For almost as long as people have used written communication to communicate, there have been postal networks. Egypt is credited with being the first country to establish a state-sponsored postal service, with records going all the way back to 2400 BCE. The earliest known postal document is dated to 255 BCE. Postal systems were first used by pharaohs, emperors, and monarchs to spread knowledge throughout their realm, but they later expanded to include religious and educational organizations.
Along messenger routes, relay stations were set up to speed up the transfer of information over long distances. Private individuals were later given the option to send communications via official postal services as these systems developed to become more inclusive and efficient.Mail has been transported by messengers on foot, by horse and wagon, by mule, by bicycle, by rail, by steamboat, by plane, by motorcycle, and even by dog sled from the early days of royal postal services. Here are some further amazing details on the development of mail over the ages to keep people linked.
Within Just 18 Months of Operation, the Pony Express
During the 1800s, there was a demand for quick and dependable mail delivery beyond the Rocky Mountains due to the Oregon Trail’s vast westward movement, the advent of Mormon immigration in Utah, and the gold rush in California. In 1859, the Leavenworth and Pike’s Peak Express Company—which would later become the foundation of the Pony Express—stood up to meet this need. The Pony Express traveled more than 1,900 miles in ten days, from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California.
Each rider was able to traverse an average of 75 to 100 miles before handing the reins to the next, with horse-changing stations spaced at intervals of 10 to 15 miles along the route. But the Pony Express was soon to come to an end when the transcontinental telegraph system was completed. The equine delivery service was actually only in operation from April 1860 to October 1861, yet it nevertheless stands as a powerful and enduring icon of the rough and tumble American Old West.
