August - September 2000 Volume 31, Number 4 Whole Number 184 IN THIS ISSUE: The Columbus, New Mexico, Pancho Villa Raid: A Postal History Viewpoint LA POSTA: A JOURNAL By Michael Dattolico .......... 9 OF AMERICAN POSTAL West Virginia Research Papers—Hundred By Alyce Evans .......... 20 HISTORY The Disappearance of the Cherokee Nation, 33470 Chinook Plaza, Suite 216, 1889-1907 Scappoose, OR 97056 By Richard W. Helbock .......... 23 Website: www.la-posta.com Publisher: Richard W. Helbock Remnants of the Fair Associate Editors: By Kirk Andrews .......... 47 Henry Berthelot Tom Clarke Rod Crossley Michael Dattolico Martin Margulis Bob Munshower The Post Offices of Grant County, Kentucky Dennis H. Pack James Patterson By Robert Rennick .......... 50 Robert G. Schultz Randy Stehle Advertising Manager: Cathy R. Clark COVER: Our cover illustration reproduces a picture which A Fourth-class Postmaster’s Account Book appeared under the headline “Villa, the Raider” in the By Randy Stehle .......... 58 Columbus Evening Dispatch on March 9, 1916. Its use here is intended to call attention to Michael Dattolico’s fascinating article on the subject of postal history associ- ated with the raid. Philadelphia’s Flirtation With the Octagon La Posta: A Journal of American Postal History is published six times a year with issues By Tom Clarke .......... 67 mailed on or about the 20th of February, April, June, August, October and December. Persons wishing additional information about advertising, manuscript submittals or subscription should contact the publisher at 33470 Chinook Plaza, Suite 216, Scappoose, OR 97056 Also Postal History Notes & Reviews SUBSCRIPTION RATES: U. S. A. - $20.00 per annum (6 issues) CANADA - $28(US) per annum (6 issues) OVERSEAS - $32.00 per annum surface - $55.00 per annum airmail 2 September 2000 La Posta LA POSTA SUSTAINING SUBSCRIBERS The following individuals and institutions have contributed financial assistance to La Posta in excess of their subscriptions. We are indebted to them for their generous support. Without it La Posta could not continue to exist. Joseph J. Adamski Robert M. Ebiner Robert Lorenz Joseph Sedivy Richard Agee Craig Eggleston Thomas H.. Luellen Michael Senta MD Gary Anderson Stephen W. Ekstrom Dr. Dennis J. Lutz Edwin H. Shane Kirk Andrews Jim Elin Millard Mack Terry Shaw Archives International LLC Mike Ellingson Larry Dean Maddux P.L.S. Timothy M. Sheehan A. A. Armstrong, Jr. MD David M. Ellis Howard A. Mader Wesley N. Shellen Jon K. Arndt Alyce Evans Richard Malmgren Gina Sheridan Ausdenmore-McFarlane Stamps/ Arthur Everett Oscar R. Marsh James E. Shew Covers James W. Faber Doug Marty David J. Simmons Edward P. Babcock Ronald W. Finger Bernard D. Mayer Jr. Donald T. Smith Ted Bahry Sidney Fingerhood Thomas C. Mazza Peter Smith Mark T. Baker Kenton Forrest Larry McBride Rev. Fred K. Smyithe Kendall Lee Ballard Dale Forster Leonard McCabe Al Soth Jacob M. Bard Myron Fox David R. McCord John W. Spangler Richard Bard Jr. Robert K. Garrity R.J. McEwen Gus Spector M.D. Edmund Bashista William R. Geijsbeek William T. McGreer Keith R. Spencer Rex J. Bates John J. Germann Great Valley Archives Duane Spidle Henry F. Battestin Jr. James S. Gerson Wilton N. Melhorn Stanley Spurgiesz William H. Bauer Glenn Gholston Robert G. Metcalf Ken Stach Robert A. Beall C. Dorance Gibbs J. L. Meyer Thomas E. Stanton Arthur E. Beane Jr. Michael Goldstein Steven Miedziak Randy Stehle John E. Beane MD Clarence E. Goulding Jr. MD John Milewski Jr. Seymour B. Stiss John W. Becker Ted Gruber Lynn I. Minneman Robert Stoldal Robert W. Becker Seely Hall Jr. Jack E. Molesworth Bill Strauss John Beirne Larry J. Haller Steven R. Morehead David E. Sudweeks William R. Beith Kenneth L. Hamlin E. F. (Al) Mueller Bob Summerell Bary D. Bender John T. Hardy Jr. Neill D. Mullen Robert A. Svoboda Dr. Steven J. Berlin Wayne Hassell Robert Myerson John & Nina Swanson Dr. Steven J. Berlin Loyal M. Haun Burnham S. Neill Robert D. Swanson Henry J. Berthelot Bruce W. Hazelton Eric A. Nelson Robert Tepe Donald G. Beuthel Dr. Edwin J. Helitzer Ray L. Newburn Jr. The Postal History Foundation John Bigart Gary G. Hendren William A. Nix Donald G. Thompson Dr. W.Wallace Bilyeu Stephen F. Herzick Jr. Francis E.W. Ogle Don Tocher James B. Blandford H. Stanton Hill Ronald Olin MD Thomas K. Todsen Joseph Bock Dorlon Himber Arthur E. Olson William Jay Treat Thomas V. Boettger Joseph T. Holleman Douglas Olson Ron Trosclair Eppe Bosch Joseph A. Holzman Robert Omberg Joseph A. Turek Bruce J. Branson B. Clyde Hutchinson James C. Orcutt Mort D. Turner Deane R. Briggs M.D. James H. Inverarity Bruce E. Panek James O. Vadeboncoeur John Broberg James D. Jacobitz MD Dr. Richard Papp Tonny E. Van Loij Roger S. Brody Stefan T. Jaronski Richard H. Parker Frank Von Borstel William E. Brooks Constant R. Johnson Alan Parsons Howard A. Wallace Dan Brouillette Jonathan L. Johnson Jr. Robert J. Payne M. Lauck Walton Edward H. (Ned) Brown Al E. Jones Donald R. Pearson Ronald A. Wankel Mike Brown Robert Juceam Eugene T. Peterson Dr. Ronald A. Ward Dr. Kenneth E. Burden Gordon E. Katz Hans Pohler Edward Weinberg James W. Busse Phil Kay Rev. Elwood S. Poore Larry Weinstock Elmer Campbell Robert Keatts Louis Prahar Kenneth L. White E. B. Cantey Jr. James E. Kenney Stephen Prigozy Craig A. Whitford Stephen J. Capone Curtis R. Kimes Robert Quintero C. Michael Wiedemann Thomas E. Caton Gerard Klaassen, Jr. Mrs. Beatrice Rainier John H. Willard Thomas E. Chastang Lucien S. Klein James H. Raley John H. Williams C. Robert Chow James A. Klinger Peter J. Rathwell William P. Winter Clay’s Covers Kenneth Kloss Robert D. Rawlins Kirk Wolford Louis Cohen Floyd M. Knell Byron L. Reed William R. Wood Stephen E. Cohen Fredrick D. Knoche Louis A. Repetto John Wright Giles R. Cokelet Kelly J. Krizan MD Robley D. Rhine Richard Wyman David C. Collyer Alfred F. Kugel Thomas S. Richardson Nicholas Zevos Philip C. Cooley Floyd Kunzwiler Norman N. Ritchie Bruce L. Corey William O. Kvale Robert E. Rogers Joe H. Crosby Walter P. LaForce Robert G. Rose Rod Crossley Edward C. LaFountain Hal Ross Raymond A. Currier Curt J. Lamm Vincent A. Ross Richard F. Curtin Eliot A. Landau Millard H. Ruether Matt Dakin Russell Lang Roger Rydberg H. J. W. Daugherty Robert M. Langer Wm. A. Sandrik John DeNault Peter Larson Schmitt Investors Ltd. Doug DeRoest Howard Lee Michael E. Schnee Carl R. Ditsch James E. Lee George Schroder Lee Drickamer Arnold A. Leiter Uncle Sam S&C Neil C. Schroeder Joseph E. DuBois Brian P. Levy Robert G. Schultz La Posta September 2000 3 PUBLISHER'S PAGE Early Postmaster Compensation insurance or money order business. But I had never One of the most widely used factors to estimate the seen a detailed discussion scarcity and market value of postmarks from a par- of how, exactly, postmaster ticular post office at a particular time is postmaster compensation was calcu- compensation. Postal historians have long recognized lated. that in the 19th and early 20th century postmasters were compensated on the basis of the amount of business Well, all that mystery is fi- done by their post offices. This direct relationship nally cleared away in this between compensation and volume of business has issue of La Posta by Associate Editor Randy Stehle, been of particular interest in the case of Fourth Class who recently acquired an official account book main- post offices. tained by a small town postmaster in Vermont during the late 19th century. Randy, an accountant by profes- In the 1970s, while working with extensive listings sion, applied his considerable skill and experience to of Doane cancels, I discovered that the number which investigate the vagaries of 100 year old bookkeeping appeared in the Doane cancel bars was directly re- and has distilled for us an explanation of the proce- lated to the dollar amount of postmaster compensa- dures through which postmaster compensation was tion during the year preceding the issuance of the derived. postmarking device. In other words, in a post office such as Holland, Oregon, where the postmaster had We are very pleased to welcome Kirk Andrews as a been paid $238.35 for the year ending June 30, 1905, new La Posta author this issue. A resident of Oregon, and the office was issued a Type 2 Doane handstamp Kirk takes us on a trip back through time to a first in late 1904 or early 1905, the device would be is- hand account of Portland’s Lewis & Clark Exposi- sued with a “3” in the cancel bars. If the postmaster tion of 1905, and discovers, that if one knows where compensation was less than $100, the Doane number to look, there are bits and pieces still to be found in was “1”. modern-day Portland. New post offices receiving Doane handstamps were Michael Dattolico presents a fascinating explorartion all issued equipment with a “1” in the killer bars since of postal history associated with Pancho Villa’s raid they had no compensation history. However, new post on Columbus, New Mexico. Robert Rennick conducts offices, which resulted from name changes, received a tour of the post offices of Grant County, Kentucky. Doane numbers which corresponded to the last year Tom Clarke expounds upon the attractive octagonal of postmaster compensation under the old post office postmarks of Philadelphia. Alyce Evans presents a name. This was a fairly exciting discovery to me, and second of her West Virginia research papers; this time it obviously made the subject of Doane cancels a more on the town of Hundred, and yours truly examines interesting collecting specialty.