Dear Reader,

Remember back in the olden days when the US Postal Service delivered real letters from real people right to your mailbox? Your name was on the envelope, hand addressed by someone special in your life. Well, relive those days of yore the week of January 8-14… National Letter Writing Week.

This is a great time to introduce the new generation to the pleasures of letter writing… none of that OMG, LOL nonsense. We’re talking about the real thing!

Our gift to you this month is a collection of stationery templates created by Helga, APTE’s lead artist. I’m sure you’ll find the right template to inspire some letter writing fun. You’ll also find information from the National Park Service and a fun activity about the famous Pony Express.

So what are you waiting for? Thrill someone special and put a letter in the mail.

Sally de Vincentis
CEO, APTE

The Pony Express

The Pony Express was started to carry mail to the west. Before the Pony Express mail went by ship and took months to get to California. The Pony Express was much faster. Men with mail in their saddlebags raced across the Great Plains on horses. There were many stops on the Pony Express. At each stop a new man and a fresh horse took the mail to the next stop, until finally the mail reached California.

Are you ready for a Pony Express quiz?

• What year did the Pony Express start?
• How many miles was the Pony Express trail to California?
• How many miles in one day could the Pony Express riders cover?
• What city was the beginning of the Pony Express trail?
• Where city was the end of the Pony Express trail?
• How long did the Pony Express last?

Get the answers by clicking here.

Get your FREE Classroom Stationery Set – 7 Designs Each

DOWNLOAD a FREE set for beginning writers.

DOWNLOAD a FREE set for advanced writers.

And for those, who like to tip-tap their letters on a computer, check out APTE’s special January pricing for our ever-popular program, Digital Photo Activity Kit (DPAK). With DPAK you get a wide selection of templates for creating your own customized letters, posters, reports, travel logs and much more.  Best of all, with DPAK you can add digital photos and images to all your writing creations.

Pony Express Quiz Answers

• What year did the Pony Express start?
  1860
• How many miles was the Pony Express trail to California?
  2000 miles
• How many miles in one day could the Pony Express riders cover?
  250 miles in 24 hours
• What city was the beginning of the Pony Express trail?
  St. Joseph, MO
• Where city was the end of the Pony Express trail?
  Sacramento, CA
• How long did the Pony Express last?
  19 Months

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