The Pony Express was the idea of Wells Fargo, who needed to cut the delivery time of mail to the West Coast. It cut the time in half, from twenty days to ten days, by carrying the mail via a relay team of horses and riders. Though only in operation for 19 months, between April 1860 and October 1861 when it was rendered obsolete by the completion of the trans-continental telegraph system, the Pony Express is an icon of American ingenuity and determination.

mail service operated in 1860 and 1861 between St. Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California. Local stamps were issued for this service by Wells, Fargo and Co.