Editing Pony Express (section)

==First journeys==

===Westbound===
[[File:Stamp US Pony Express 25c.jpg|right|thumb|This 25-cent stamp printed by [[Wells Fargo]] was canceled in [[Virginia City, Nevada|Virginia City]], [[Nevada]], and used on a revived Pony Express run between there and [[Sacramento]] beginning in 1862.]]

The first westbound Pony Express trip left St. Joseph on April 3, 1860, and arrived 10 days later in Sacramento, California, on April 14. These letters were sent under cover from the east to St. Joseph, and never directly entered the U.S. mail system. Today, only a single letter is known to exist from the inaugural westbound trip from St. Joseph to Sacramento.{{sfnp|Frajola|Kramer|Walske|2005}} It was delivered in an envelope embossed with postage (depicted below) that was first issued by the U.S. Post Office in 1855.<ref>Scotts Specialized catalogue of U.S. Postage Stamps / Envelopes</ref>

The messenger delivering the ''mochila'' from [[New York City|New York]] and [[Washington, DC]], missed a connection in Detroit and arrived in [[Hannibal, Missouri]], two hours late. The railroad cleared the track and dispatched a special locomotive called ''Missouri'' with a one-car train to make the {{convert|206|mi|km|adj=on}} trek across Missouri in a record 4 hours and 51 minutes, an average of {{convert|40|mph}}.<ref>{{cite web
 |url          = http://www.xphomestation.com/hannibalrr.html
 |title        = Hannibal & Joseph Railroad
 |website      = XP Home Station
 |access-date   = December 10, 2012
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20120722162410/http://www.xphomestation.com/hannibalrr.html
 |archive-date = July 22, 2012
 |df           = mdy-all
}}</ref> It arrived at Olive and 8th Street, a few blocks from the company's new headquarters in a hotel at [[Patee House]] at 12th and Penn Street, St. Joseph, and the company's nearby stables on Penn Street. The first pouch contained 49 letters, five private [[Telegram|telegrams]], and some papers for San Francisco and intermediate points.{{sfnp|Godfrey|1994|loc=[https://web.archive.org/web/20160312195057/http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/poex/hrs/hrs2.htm Chap 2]}}

St. Joseph [[Mayor]] [[M. Jeff Thompson]], William H. Russell, and Alexander Majors gave speeches before the ''mochila'' was handed off. The ride began at about 7:15&nbsp;pm. The ''[[St. Joseph Gazette]]'' was the only newspaper included in the bag.

The identity of the first rider has long been in dispute. The St. Joseph ''Weekly West'' (April 4, 1860) reported [[Johnson William Richardson]] was the first rider.{{sfnp|Root|Hickman|1946|loc=Note 358}}
[[Johnny Fry]] is credited in some sources as the rider. Nonetheless, the first westbound rider carried the pouch across the Missouri River ferry to [[Elwood, Kansas]]. The first horse-ridden leg of the Express was only about {{convert|1/2|mi|m}} from the Express stables/railroad area to the Missouri River ferry at the foot of Jules Street. Reports indicated that horse and rider crossed the river. In later rides, the courier crossed the river without a horse and picked up his mount at a stable on the other side.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}

The first westbound ''mochila'' reached Sacramento, on April 14, at 1:00&nbsp;am.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.xphomestation.com/facts.html#K
|title=Westbound
|website=XP Home Station
|access-date=December 10, 2012
}}</ref>

{{multiple image
|align=center
|direction=horizontal
|width=
|header=First Period Westbound: April 3, 1860&nbsp;– July 30, 1860
|header_align=center
|image1=First Westbound Pony Express Apr3 1860.jpg
|width1=350
|alt1=
|caption1=Letter carried on first westbound trip
|image2=First Westbound Pony Express Overland Post-Mark Apr3.jpg
|width2=275
|alt2=
|caption2=Postmark used on first westbound trip, April 3, 1860
}}

===Eastbound===
The first eastbound Pony Express trip left Sacramento on April 3, 1860, and arrived at its destination 10 days later in St. Joseph, Missouri. From St. Joseph, letters were placed in the U.S. mails for delivery to eastern destinations. Only two letters are known to exist from the inaugural eastbound trip.{{sfn|Peters|1996|pp=160–162}}

{{multiple image
|align=center
|direction=horizontal
|width=
|header=First Period Eastbound: April 3, 1860&nbsp;– April 14, 1860
|header_align=center
|image1=First Eastbound Pony Express Apr3 1860.jpg
|width1=350
|alt1=
|caption1=Letter carried on first eastbound trip
|image2=First Eastbound Pony Express Post-Mark Apr3.jpg
|width2=295
|alt2=
|caption2=Postmark used on first eastbound cover
}}