On April 13, 1860, the first westward bound mail from the Overland Pony Express Company arrived at the B.F. Hastings building at the corner of Second and J Streets in Sacramento, the western terminus of the Overland Pony Express Company, before being transported by steamboat to San Francisco. The mail took 10 days to travel the approximately 1,800-mile journey. The Pony Express set a new standard for quick mail delivery and connected isolated California in the west with the news of the eastern United States. Prior to the Pony Express, news or letters from the east could take weeks, if not well over a month to arrive in California either by stagecoach or steamship. Pony Express riders were paid approximately $25 per week and carried up to 20 pounds of mail in leather mochilas. Every 75 to 100 miles a new rider took over and horses were switched out every 10 to 15 miles. On October 24, 1861, the first transcontinental telegraph message was transmitted to the Pioneer Telegraph Buildin...