In a little while all interest was taken up in stretching our necks and watching for the "pony-rider"—the fleet messenger who sped across the continent from St. Joe to Sacramento. ... Presently the [stagecoach] driver exclaims: "HERE HE COMES!" ...Away across the endless dead level of the prairie a black speck appears ... In a second or two it becomes a horse and rider, ... man and horse burst past our excited faces, and go winging away ... So sudden is it all ...
Even though Mark Twain romanticized the Pony Express, his description reflects the 19th century outlook of many American entrepreneurs and politicians intent on establishing the fastest lines of communication and transportation to connect a nation from coast to coast. In the 21st century, communication in the United States can be instantaneous, but in the 19th century, settlers yearned for letters and news that could take at least four months to arrive.
As Americans migrated westward searching for gold and seeking to establish settlements, the need for a speedy mail service arose. At the time, the idea behind the Pony Express was to deliver mail faster. It was the best option, since roads for stagecoaches in outlying areas of the West did not exist. In 1852, the year Wells, Fargo, and Company opened for business, the geography of the United States was void of its present-day network of freeways and railroads.
The Pony Express began as a private mail delivery service in April 1860 when the Overland California and Pikes Peak Express 
(COC & PPE) offered lightning-fast mail delivery between St. Joseph, Mo., and Sacramento, Calif. Covering 1,966 miles in 10 days, the Pony Express became the quickest way to deliver mail. However, without a government contract to finance this huge endeavor, the COC & PPE became known as "Clean Out of Cash & Poor Pay Express." The owners had invested $700,000 and faced the daunting task of paying off a $200,000 debt.
In 1861, the United States government awarded the contract for mail service to the Overland Mail Company and required the contractor to operate a semiweekly pony express route. Through its control of the Overland Mail Company, Wells Fargo took over direct management of the trans-Missouri Pony Express line on July 1, 1861.
January 18: Part 2
why they call it wellsfargo if just a bank.
Did you know that dozens and dozens of historic bed and breakfasts in the United States are in former stagecoach stops? Many have been preserved by the owners and innkeepers with their own elbow grease and they turn all their profits into maintaining these historic treasures. American Historic Inns catalogs these properties in some of their publications such as Bed & Breakfast and Country Inns.