On the Tuesday in 1860 when Johnny Fry left St. Joseph, Missouri, on horseback carrying 49 letters and five telegrams, fireworks were set off, bands played in the streets, and, wroteThe New York Times, "the best feeling was manifested by everybody." So began the famed Pony Express. The trip from St. Joseph to Sacramento required 75 horses and 100 stations (riders changed horses every 10 to 15 miles). But as legendary as it remains today, the Pony Express was a bad business. It lasted just 18 months, losing $200,000 ($4.7 million today) before being replaced by the telegraph. -- ERICA WESTLY

sat, april 03
RIDE