The Pony Express was considered a novel and bold scheme when it was first revealed to the public in the spring of 1860. In fact, however, the notion of a horse relay system to carry mail was not as unique as it sounded. The concept was an ancient one, dating back to Europe and Asia in the first century and beyond.

The Pony Express's Predecessors

Darius the Great, ruler of Persia from 522 to 486 B. C., was the first to establish a highly efficient communication system using horses to carry messages and mail across the country. So excellent was Darius's system that the royal mail was transported fifteen hundred miles between the capital of Susa to the town of Sardis in ten days. It could take an ordinary traveler three months to cover the same distance.

Roman emperor Augustus (27 B. C.-14 A. D.) patterned his...