On April 3, 1860, the Pony Express made its first trip from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California. In 1860, mail contractor Ben Holladay joined forces with the Russell, Majors, and Waddell freight company to create a mail-carrying operation that would be faster and more efficient than the stagecoaches of the Butterfield Overland Mail. At that time, it could take months for mail to be delivered to the unsettled West by stagecoach. Holladay established 200 stations 25 miles apart along a 1,900-mile trail from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California. He then put a call out for small, brave young men that could ride a horse well. He bought 500 of the fastest horses he could find and hired 80 daring riders. The first ride left St. Joseph, Missouri on April 3, 1860, and arrived in Sacramento, California just nine days and 23 hours later. In the mochilla, or saddlebag, was a message of congratulations from President Buchanan to the Governor of California, which had been telegraphed from Washington to St. Joseph.