The Pony Express was organized to deliver mail from Missouri to San Francisco, California, at the unprecedented speed of just 10 days. The service was planned by William Russell, Alexander Majors, and William Waddell, who already were in the drayage business but saw the need for quick delivery. While most of the riders went on to lead quiet lives, history recalls the few who made bigger names for themselves: Bolivar Roberts, "Buffalo Bill" Cody, "Wild Bill" Hickok. The Pony Express operated only 18 months, and closed down when the transcontinental telegraph reached Salt Lake City, Utah.