150 years ago this weekend, the first Pony Express rider took off from St. Joseph, Missouri, with his bags of mail. On April 3, 1860, freight company magnates William H. Russell, William B. Waddell, and Alexander Majors founded the mail system to satisfy the need for faster communication with the West, especially with the Civil War looming. Riders braved dangerous terrain to deliver letters that were written on tissue paper wrapped in oil paper. At first, people paid a whopping $5 to mail a letter weighing half an ounce or less; that was later reduced to $2.50. Read more »

Today, March 24, Canstruction opened to the public. One or two teams were at the History Museum until 2am finishing their creations. Until April 5, you can see these ten works of art, created mostly by canned goods. Read more »

Canstruction begins tomorrow! Sure, they don't look like much now, but on March 23, 2010, these cans will be transformed into works of art. Teams representing ABNA Engineering, Black & Veatch, Shannon & Wilson, Arcturis, Collier Turley Martin Tucker, Charter Communications, Lewis & Clark Community College – AIAS, Mackey Mitchell Architects, Maryville University Department of Interiors, McClure Engineering, NAWIC (National Association of Women in Construction), RJN Group, and SDA and Canstruction® Committee will spend hours at the Missouri History Museum assembling their creations. Read more »