Arago: Images In Featured Collections

This ad was posted by agents for Wells, Fargo & Company. The poster is advertising the service's new low rates (down from $5 per half ounce to $1). Wells, Fargo & Company took over the service from the original trio of owners, headed by William Russell. As the trans-continental telegraph expanded along the Pony Express route, telegraphic messages could travel part of that distance by wire, making their delivery time even faster than the 10 days advertised for letters.