Pony Express Badge The badge design is a shield with an eagle on top. It also
has a pony express rider in the center of the shield. The words "Pony
Express" is across the top and the word "Messenger" is across the
bottom of the shield. It is silver in color with a pin back.
This is a new item made in the USA.
A Little Bit of History The Pony Express was a fast mail service crossing 1,966 miles from St. Joseph to Sacramento with 190 relay stations, 50 riders and 500 horses. The Pony Express was in service from April 1860 to November 1861. Messages were carried on horseback relay across the prairies, plains, deserts, and mountains of the
Western United States. This reduced the mail travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocen to around 10 days. Pony Express stations were placed at intervals of about 10 miles along the route, roughly the maximum distance a horse can travel at full gallop. The rider changed to a fresh horse at each station, taking only the mail pouch (called a mochila) with him. The mochila was thrown over the saddle and held in place by the weight of the rider sitting on it. Each corner had a cantina, or pocket. Bundles of mail were placed in these cantinas, which were padlocked for safety. The mochila could hold 20 pounds of mail along with the 20 pounds of material carried on the horse, allowing for a total of 165 pounds on the horse's back. Riders,
who could not weigh over 125 pounds, were changed
about every 75-100 miles. (Taken from wikipedia)
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