Messages and mail have been delivered by post riders on horseback since there have been horseback riders and messages to deliver.
All over the civilized world and through the centuries, mail delivery evolved with transportation systems and roads. From its beginnings as purely military or government use, mail services gradually became available to the public.
During the 1600s in North America, a postal route was run monthly from Boston to New York City along what is now U.S. Route 1, first on horseback and then by stagecoach. In the late 1700s, the U.S. Post Office was created and mail was borne by horseback, stagecoach and steamboat. As westward expansion continued and railroads proliferated, the mail followed. Some of the most famous and storied post riders in the U.S. were those of the short-lived Pony Express.
By the late 1800s, Pennsylvania, like most of the United States, was crisscrossed with railroad tracks that were designated mail routes. From post offices along these tracks, mail was sent out with contracted post riders on horseback or by horse-drawn wagon to remote post offices in areas not served by the railroads.
