" A critical fact in the world of 1801 was that nothing moved faster than the speed of a horse. No human being, no manufactured item, no bushel of wheat, no side of beef (or any beef on the hoof, for that matter), no letter, no information, no idea, order, or instruction of any kind moved faster. "

― Stephen E. Ambrose , Undaunted Courage: The Pioneering First Mission to Explore America's Wild Frontier