U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for April 3

WASHINGTON, April 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090226/CENSUSLOGO)

SATURDAY, APRIL 3: PONY EXPRESS 150TH

Profile America — Saturday, April 3rd.  For the time, it was a bargain — only $5 to get an ounce of mail across the country, guaranteed in 10 days.  That was the rate charged by the Pony Express, which started on this day 150 years ago.  From Missouri westward, some 200 riders rode fast horses between relay stations across the largely uninhabited land.  While it captured the imagination, the Pony Express lasted less than two years, put out of business by the faster telegraph.  Today, in spite of the widespread use of e-mail and other Internet based messaging services, the U.S. Postal Service still handles more than 200 billion letters, packages, magazines and catalogs each year.  Profile America is presented by the U.S. Census Bureau, now conducting the 2010 Census.

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2010, p. 207

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2010, t. 1090    

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look under the "Newsroom" button).  

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau