THE GREAT RACE AGAINST TIME: BIRTH OF THE PONY EXPRESS
(continued) "GREAT RACE AGAINST TIME," FIRST RUN: APRIL 3,1860
The Pony Express' first ride on April 3, 1860, and the fanfare
of the cheering throngs in St. Joseph and Sacramento has been
described so many times with flourishing detail  that this study
will provide only the highlights of the dramatic event. These
depictions do not always agree on the details of the event, so
the following description is a composite of those views. St.
Joseph to Sacramento Ride The basic description of the first run
from St. Joseph centers around three elements: the arrival of
the mail from the East, the staging of the first ride, and the
identity of the first pony rider. Despite careful planning, when
the day of the big event arrived, the initial run did not occur
without some difficulties. First, the Hannibal and St. Joseph
train arrived late. Scheduled to arrive in St. Joseph in the
late afternoon (5:00 p.m.), it did not arrive until nightfall.
Apparently, the letters f