WESTERNEXPRESS Research Journal of Early Western Mails Vol. 68 No. 3 ¤ Whole No. 269 ¤ September 2018 ¤ Unit No. 14 , American Philatelic Society Quarterly Publication of the Western Cover Society TABLE OF CONTENTS President’s Message, etc................1 The United States & California Express Company By Ken Stach....................................7 Addendum to “Remnants of the SS Winfield Scott” By James W. Milgram, M. D..........24 Indian Uprisings in Minnesota By James W. Milgram, M. D..........25 The Maiden Voyages of California and Tennessee Around The Horn By James Baird…...........................32 Wells, Fargo & Co. Franks - A Sample of People Who Received Them By Peter M. Stonebraker, PhD.......37 EXPRESS ¤ OVERLAND ¤ TERRITORIAL ¤ POSTAL RATES ¤ OCEAN MAIL ¤ POST OFFICES ¤ STATEHOOD ¤ POSTAL HISTORY Recent Awards APS StampShow 2009 (Pittsburgh, PA) - GOLD Chicagopex 2009 (Arlington Heights, IL) - GOLD MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION If you collect Western Express covers, Territorials, Town cancellations, or anything pertaining to the mails of the Old West, you are invited to join the Western Cover Society and enjoy meeting other collectors. Western Express (ISSN 0510-2332) is published quarterly (March-June-September-December) by the Western Cover Society, which is a not-for-profit 501 (C-3) tax exempt organization. Western Cover Society seeks to fulfill its charitable and educational mission through the publication of books and journals. All contributions above the basic subscription rate are tax deductible and will go to support publication of material. The annual membership in the society includes a subscription to Western Express. All who share an interest are invited to join. Annual membership is $35.00 per year. Membership application and back issues can be obtaining by contacting Robert Chandler at our web site, www.westerncoversociety.com. Claims for missing issues made within six months will be serviced free of charge. All photographs and published material are assumed to be the copyright of the Western Cover Society unless the copyright is retained by the author. Contact the Secretary for copyright permission or the author where noted. Photocopy permission for non- resale classroom usage is freely given. Western Cover Society does not accept responsibility for views expressed in articles or advertisements that appear in the pages of Western Express. It provides opportunities for publication of material that may represent ideas, judgments and opinions. The publication of articles or advertisements should not be construed to promote collecting or establish pricing of material that is in private hands. Send manuscripts to the editor for publication consideration. All manuscripts are subject to peer review. Lifetime Membership $500.00 one time Patron Membership $75.00 per year Sustaining Membership $50.00 per year Active Membership $35.00 per year Foreign Memberships require an additional $35.00 per year postage, in addition to any membership fee noted above Send application with appropriate check to: Western Cover Society Robert Chandler, Secretary 430 Ponderosa Court Lafayette, CA 94549 Please state your collecting interests. Your application will be acted upon at the next meeting of the Board of Directors. ————————————————————————————————————————————————————- Advertising rates, per issue: Full page $150.00, half page $85.00, quarter page $50.00 Four consecutive insertions, paid in advance: Full page $550.00, half page $300.00, quarter page $175.00 Submit ads to the General Editor: Ken Stach, PO Box 6; Letcher, SD 57359 ([email protected]) Copyright 2018 by the Western Cover Society ISSN 0510-2332 Western Express September, 2018 You get one chance to sell your collection for the highest price. When you sell through Siegel, you take no chances. Estimate $300,000-400,000 Estimate $40,000-50,000 SOLD FOR $460,000 SOLD FOR $132,250 Estimate $30,000-40,000 Estimate $30,000-40,000 SOLD FOR $120,750 SOLD FOR $149,500 Estimate $500,000-750,000 Estimate $200,000-300,000 SOLD FOR $632,500 SOLD FOR $299,000 The spectacular realizations for Pony Express covers sold through Siegel auctions are evidence of our firm’s unmatched ability to present and promote sales. When you decide to sell your collection, doesn’t it make sense to work with experienced professionals who know the material and the market? AUCTION GALLERIES, INC. 6 WEST 48TH STREET, 9TH FLOOR, NEW YORK, N.Y. 10036 • (212) 753-6421 • SIEGELAUCTIONS.COM 6 Western Express September, 2018 The United States & California Express Company By Ken Stach Figure 1. “Forwarded by the United States & California Express Company” red handstamp on cover mailed from Philadelphia, via New York and Panama, to San Francisco in April, 1851. Introduction: examples of the express marking are known, so even this strike is a worthy acquisition, especially in Robert A. Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc. had a cover this unusual usage.” The same pair of covers, with that intrigued me in their Sale #1171 (December 12, the same description, was sold in Siegel’s October 2017). The item, Lot #169, was described as being 24, 2007 auction (Sale #944) as lot #2987. an express-carried folded cover (no contents) with a light but discernable four-line handstamp in red on I ended up purchasing the item and have since done its address panel reading “FORWARDED BY/THE/ considerable research on the express itself, as well UNITED STATES & CALIFORNIA/EXPRESS as on all the associated notations on the cover. The COMPANY.” The full catalog description was purpose of this article is to shed some light on this “Blurry strike of four-line handstamp in red on circa little-known (and, as it turns out, very rare) express 1851 blue folded cover to ‘Capt. S. M. Sage of Ship and to amplify the additional information divulged John N. Gosler, care of Messrs. Garwood Forst & on the cover. Co., San Francisco, Calafornia’, with interesting notation ‘37 cts. Paid in full Morclay & Ball for A B Figure 1 shows the actual cover, which you may Miller & Co., P Booz’, receipt docketing ‘Devereux note looks slightly different from the scan on the Ap 24’, right side panels removed, minor edge Siegel website. As it turns out, the paper faults, accompanied by a second cover from the indentations at top and bottom of the cover were same correspondence which was sent by mail, blue simply depressions that were due to a band having ‘Philada. Pa. Jun. 12’ circular datestamp, matching been tightly applied to the stack of letters in which ‘40’ rate handstamp and red ‘PAID’ in frame, 1851 the cover had at one time been contained. The receipt docketing (the rate was reduced to only 6c paper was all there. I simply straightened it out very prepaid on July 1, 1851), Very Fine, only a few carefully with stamp tongs and reinforced it in place with archival tape. Voila! 7 Western Express September, 2018 Addendum to “Remnants of the SS Winfield Scott” By James W. Milgram, M. D. Figure 1. Cover (lacking contents) postmarked "NEW ORLEANS La. DEC 5" (1850) with matching red "STEAM 5" in circle addressed to New Orleans. The two-line handstamp in red reads "STEAMSHIP WINFIELD SCOTT.” In the March 2018 issue of Western Express, Rick President in 1852. There was a bust with his Mingee presented a fascinating history of one of the likeness on the stern. California steamers that used handstamps on mail. The steamer was originally owned by Davis, Brooks This marking is listed as M-1461 in my book Vessel & Co. and transported passengers in the Atlantic -Named Markings on United States Inland and Ocean between New York and New Orleans. The Ocean Waterways 1810-1890, published by the illustrated cover is from 1850, not 1851. The Collectors Club of Chicago. vessel’s ownership was later transferred to the New York and San Francisco Steamship Company However, I have also published several supplements Line. It carried passengers from Panama City to in The Postal History Journal and in that I described San Francisco in the Pacific Ocean. Ownership was the cover WS-1 in Mr. Mingee's Appendix I. again transferred on July 8, 1853 to the Pacific Mail Steamship Co., which company owned it at the time The cover, shown as Figure 1 at the top of this page, it was wrecked. bears a New Orleans postmark and is marked STEAM 5 with address to New Orleans. The red So WS-2 is the earliest known usage of the second two-line handstamp marking reads “STEAMSHIP postmark M-1461. I gave the earlier marking the WINFIELD SCOTT,” not “STEAMER,” as is the number M-1461A. case with all the other known Winfield Scott carried covers. ∞§∞§∞§∞§∞ One needs to understand the history of the vessel. It was built by Westervelt & MacKay in New York and was launched October 27, 1850. The vessel was named for General Winfield Scott, who ran for 24 Western Express September, 2018 Indian Uprisings in Minnesota By James W. Milgram, M.D. Figure 1. Map of the Minnesota in 1862 showing sites of Indian villages and battles along the Minnesota River. There had been Indian unrest in Minnesota before Most of the Indian attacks in 1862 took place during the Civil War, but the absence of the fighting men the second half of August and during the month of from the state during the war encouraged certain September, including attacks on Forts Ridgely groups of discontented Indians to commit atrocities (Minnesota) and Abercrombie (Dakota Territory). against the White settlers. While the 1862 uprising was the largest and is the best known today, there The writer possesses three outstanding letters which were actually raids and killings for several years describe different events including two of the afterwards, including 1865. famous massacres: the Baker Massacre in 1862 and the Stewart Massacre in 1865. The map in Figure 1 shows the towns along the Minnesota River and the many sites of Indian Winnebago City Min Sept 8/62 villages (circles) and battles (triangles) in 1862.