Photo courtesy of A Yee's Flickr Page - California41 Sacramento Pony Express Plaque - Old Sacramento
https://www.flickr.com/photos/57412095@N05/9735126049/
Creative Commons License - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
Photo courtesy of William Arthur Fine Stationery Flickr Page - Pony Express Stamp
Creative Commons License - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/
The Google Doodle honoring the Pony Express today.
It was on this day 155 years ago - April 14, 1860 - that the famous Pony Express was established with it's first mail delivery, treading across inhospitable land in difficult conditions, and establishing a mode of communication that has never really gone away since. That first delivery was a 10-day sprint, essentially, to deliver the first piece of mail by this now famous service. That kind of timing for the existing conditions back then was unprecedented.
Still, the Pony Express did not last longer than a year and a half, even though it is remembered still today. In effect, it punched harder than it's weight, because it served as a vital connection, a link between the frontier and the developed world. In many ways, it could be said to have gone a long way towards developing a unified and modern nation, if I am not overstating it. It has always been remembered fondly throughout American history since, to the point that the defunct mail service was honored in 1960, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Pony Express.
Today, more our modern world still is taking time to reflect on and honor the old Pony Express. Google dedicated one of it's famous doodles to honor the Pony Express. If you wish, you can see it for the duration of this day.
As a child, I remember seeing this stamp in my grandfather's impressive stamp collection. For some reason, it really stood out for me, and always left an impression. Some stamps were like that, they just kind of resonated with me, and defined stamp collecting in general in my imagination. This particular stamp, honoring the 100th anniversary of the Pony Express, was very much like that.
There was something about this particular stamp that stood out. A historical look or quality to it. Certainly, I am not the only one who feels this way, as this stamp image has essentially become one of the most famous and iconic - particularly for stamps that do not happen to be rare. Look at it, and you see that it somehow stands apart. Something about it really grasped the history of the service and of the times, not least of all because of the brownish color - likely not that dissimilar to the color of the landscape that riders of the Pony Express traversed through.
In any case, it just seemed appropriate now to honor the 155th anniversary of The Pony Express, which obviously raised the bar for mail service, as well as for living on as a part of both American history and legend.
Google Doodle Celebrates the Pony Express With a Game Laura Stampler, April 14, 2015:
When was the first mail delivered via the Pony Express, asks Google Doodle By Tess Danielson, Staff Writer APRIL 14, 2015
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