In the late 19th century, reliability of mail delivery improved – but not its speed. When the transcontinental telegraph line was completed in 1861, it immediately rendered the Pony Express obsolete. Higher costs and poor economies of scale would see the Pony Express fail to win the mail contract beyond its first year of operation.Ī year later, the threat of civil war descended upon the country and resources were diverted to the conflict. Knowledgeable frontiersmen would race across the country on horseback, covering vast distances in shorter times. While the Pony Express was significant in that it proved the northern/central mail route was possible, it was inefficient compared to stagecoach lines. Nearly unheard-of at the time, this was faster than the more volatile southern route favored by others. Airmail beacon in Omaha, Nebraska (circa 1920s)īy 1860, the Pony Express revolutionized transcontinental mail by offering delivery in about ten days. The trip across the country was arduous, dangerous, and could take anywhere from three to six weeks. Understandably, coast-to-coast message delivery was nonexistent. It was not until a gold discovery in 1848 that California became the destination for tens of thousands from the east. There was no infrastructure and very little law governing the land. In the mid-19th century the Wild West was largely unexplored. * Early Airmail Beacon Route Map circa 1924. When radar and radio communications made the beacons obsolete years later, most were torn down or abandoned. Before long, a system of beacons was established across the United States to guide airmail pilots around-the-clock. This solution worked for flight during the day, but grounded pilots at night. In a era before radar, pilots used ground-based landmarks for guidance.
The purpose was important: helping early pilots navigate U.S. The shape and direction of the arrows vary, but it is clear they served the same purpose. Many are in good condition while others have succumbed to nature.
Some will be accompanied by a small shack, a few have a metal tower affixed to their base. They are often found in remote locations or areas difficult to access. Scattered across the United States are a network of mysterious concrete arrows.
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