Stage Coaches
by Chris
During the early days, sending messages across the continent was very difficult. It became even more crucial to develop an easier transportation method. People were confronted with many obstacles. People started finding ways to reach the west.
Difficulties Traveling to the West
In the beginning it was very difficult to transport mail. Trade goods were carried in wagons and mule trains. Travel in the east was easier, but mule traveling in the west was a lot harder. It was dangerous because of the unfinished road, bad weather and attack. Journeys could take months to get to the west by land.
Overland Mail Company
In 1857 John Butterfield founder of the American Express Company, set up the Overland Mail Company. His stagecoaches carried mail and passengers between St. Louis, Missouri and San Francisco, California. Each coach was pulled by a team of four or six horses or mules. 139 stagecoaches were operated by station attendant, armed guards and drivers. The route went through the states of Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.
The Pony Express and Wells Fargo
Even though the Overland Company made its attempt to cross to the west, the Pony Express and Wells Fargo also began to attempt to get to the west. Mali service took ten days to get delivered with the Pony Express. They could carry 20 pounds of mail but the company only lasted 18 months. In 1843, Henry Wells and James Fargo formed an express company to carry letters. They were the only stage coach lines that had offices in every town.
Stagecoaches were the beginning of how settlers started to deliver messages between towns and regions. Even though it was not a successful attempt they started to use technology. Now people found a way to deliver messages in seconds instead of days.
image courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Concord_stagecoach_1869.png
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