Gold rush

No gold ore is found in the Netherlands, yet stamp collectors exist here too, who have caught gold fever. How did that happen? Around 1860, many adventurers in the western United States had flocked to the vast desert regions where gold had been discovered by fortune seekers. The American postal service was barely present there, and many local postal companies sprang up like mushrooms. Many of these companies provided postal services in the city, but few in the countryside. Some companies used only stamps to mark their mail, while others issued postage stamps. 1 dollar & 2 dollars One of those companies was Wells, Fargo Pony ExpressThe Pony Express began a postal service in April 1860 between various rural settlements and the city of San Francisco. Soon, Wells Fargo had regular postal connections throughout the entire area between the Mississippi River and California. Initially, the Pony Express flourished, but in 1864, when the telegraph service began planting the country with its countless telegraph poles and wires—later wireless—it spelled the end for the Express. 2 dollars & 4 dollars & 5 dollars The idea for the Pony Express originated with William Russell, who opened the route between Missouri and California by deploying groups of riders on horseback. The ten-day route started in St. Joseph, Missouri, and ended in Sacramento, California, traversing the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains. According to some sources, the Pony Express transported approximately 35.000 letters. However, unfortunately, many of them have not been preserved. The letter pictured was offered for $16.500. Only 251 letters are said to still exist, all of which are described in a book about the Pony Express. Because so few letters have survived, forgeries are also being made. Here is an example of this as well.    Not only letters were transported, but also newspapers. In those days, newspapers were the most important source of information. They also contained the dollar amounts that could be received for gold ore. Special stamps were issued for this as well. Various versions exist, but they all bear the text: PAID for one newspaper via our Californian route. And did you want your letter delivered to the post office in New York? That was also possible by sticking a special label on it: To be delivered to the New York post office. Wells Fargo still exists as a bank in the United States, founded in 1852 by Henry Wells and William G. Fargo. They were also the founders of the current credit card company, American Express.