Art

The Pony Express was a mail service between St. Joseph, MO and Sacramento, CA that was created to try and connect the quickly growing state of California with the rest of the United States. It lasted a *whopping* one and a half years (April 3, 1860 - October 26, 1861), then went bankrupt, but was actually really cool and effective for the short duration of it. There were 190 stations, some of which simply allowed the riders to swap out their horses (swing stations), and others (home stations) allowed them to stay the night. It took about ten days for mail to travel between the coasts, which at the time was the quickest and most direct means of communication.

It sounded right up Alfred’s alley. Riding horseback, traversing barely explored and dangerous territories? I’m not entirely sure there’s something MORE Alfred than that.

It was also immediately before the Civil War, and tensions were palpable. The boy doesn’t do well under stress, so I can totally imagine him just up and leaving (to the horror of his officials and president) to go on an impromptu, reckless, cross-country adventure without telling a soul about it. He’d get the added perk of feeling like a fugitive at that point, too, as I’m sure they’d be out looking for him.