<P> The Pony Express was a mail service delivering messages, newspapers, and mail . </P> <P> Officially operating as the Leavenworth and Pike's Peak Express Company of 1859, in 1860 it became the Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company; this firm was founded by William H. Russell, Alexander Majors, and William B. Waddell, all of whom were notable in the freighting business . </P> <P> During its 19 months of operation, it reduced the time for messages to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific coasts to about 10 days . From April 3, 1860 to October 1861, it became the West's most direct means of east--west communication before the transcontinental telegraph was established (October 24, 1861), and was vital for tying the new state of California with the rest of the United States . </P>

Who started the pony express back in 1860
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