"...To save its post office, the tiny town of Hartville created a commemorative Valentine's Day stamp in 1996. The stamp has become so popular, collectors from around the world seek it out. The Pony Express joins in too with a Valentine's Day-themed ride to the town. ..."
"...Postal services have existed for millennia as part of the need to provide communications for the rulers of countries or empires so large that it took days to cross. Systems were set up with horses kept at various stages somewhat like the famed Pony Express in the United States in modern times and men would ride as fast as possible over a set route..."
"...Shorty Yates said his dad started the route when there were "star route" addresses in the 1940s. "These government contracts go back to the old west days, and it has slowly gotten up to where it is today," Shorty Yates said. "They began with the Pony Express." ..."
"...The Pony Express was a fast mail service crossing the North American continent from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, from April 1860 to October 1861. Since 1866 until 1990, the Pony Express logo was used in security business. Presently, "Pony Express" is a trademark for postal services in Russia (by Freight Link) and the US (by the United States Postal Service)...."
