Cover Calendar For Month And Day -Pics

This morning's postmark is from Punta Arenas in southern Mendocino county, 95 miles north of San Francisco. Puntas Arenas was Mendocino County's third post office, but the other two were temperary, Russian River (Healdsburg) was the first, opened Nov 1 1854 and moved to Sonoma County with the county boundry change on Apr 27, 1855, no postmarks recorded during the brief Mendocino period. The second was the Miltary instalation at Fort Bragg whose post office was open for short periods;
Feb 15, 1858 to Jun 30, 1858
Jan 15, 1861 to Jun 9, 1862
Nov 11 1885--Open
In reality, Punta Arenas was the only post Office in southern Mendcino County ( only 10 others in the county at that time) when this cover was mailed, and also handled more mail, than the other ten. The PA postmaster was paid a whopping $100.00 for 1869. Using an inflation calculator, that would be worth $1754.39 today.





I'm not sure if the Elk postmark on this Postal Card is Apr 15 or 16, but Noyo marked it Apr 17, 1897.

After a day's absence, I'm back with three postcards and a cover. The first postcard is from 1907 Eureka in Humboldt county to Hardy in Mendocino county, a bonus card for me, not only does it have an as yet unreported Eureka CDS, it has two different county postmarks on the same card!





The second card is part of a large postcard correspondence between a family who followed the logging camps around the redwood empire, mostly Humboldt and Mendocino counties. This card is from Mary Boyd to her son at home in Albion, Mary had gone up to her daughter's home in Frendale. Typicaly for Mary, she choose an iconic card, so I will show you both sides.









Moving south, we find a postcard being mailed aboard the Willits San Fran RPO, Mendocino county's only actual Railway Post Office. The towns reached by the California Western Rail Road where Glenblair, Gracy, Duffey, Northspur and Northwestern, but the rail line was not long enough to be a RPO. The town of Salsig/Manzanita was approx 12-15 miles up the Elk Creek Rail road, also far too short to be a RPO.




The cover for today is from the town of Mendocino, and is postmarked with their town and county postmark Men 2360 used from Apr 17 1882 to Nov 14 1887.

Only one postmark with today's date, this one is on an over paid postcard from Hardy. Cal up in northern Mendocino county. Hardy was where U.S. Hwy 1 turns East and leaves the coast, as far north as you can drive on pavement. There is more of Mendocino county north of there, but it is only accessable on unmaintained roads. It's about time I showed a map of Mendocino County.

Today's postmark is from Fort Bragg. By the time it got to me it had lost it's stamp, but it is a nice clear strike of Fort Bragg's postmark Men 1310, an average rated postmark.

A postcard from both Humboldt and Mendocino counties with todays postmark, the first was mailed from Ablion to Mary Boyd's grandson Harold Eglin in Point Arena. From the use of the salutation "Master" I'd guess this may have been Harold's first mail. And I'm guessing that it was from Mary, looks like her handwriting.









The next card's subject photo brings up transportation saftey, specifically, crossing the bar into Humboldt bay. I searched marine disaster records for incidents involving the Humboldt Bar;

Shipwercks on the Humboldt Bar

March__,1851---Susan Wardell, schooner, lost on the Humboldt Bar
May 6, 1851---Commodore Preble, steamer, wrecked at Humboldt Bay
January 25, 1852---Sea Gull, steamer, ashore and lost at Humboldt Bay
February 10, 1852---Burnea Dea , schooner, lost on the Humboldt Bar
May 27, 1852---John Clifford , brig, wrecked on the Humboldt Bar
June 7, 1852---Cornwallis, bark, wrecked on the Hjumboldt Bar
February__, 1855---Piedmont, schooner, wrecked on the Humboldt Bar
1859 ------Swiss Boy, Brig, Wrecked at Humboldt
March__, 1859---America, bark, wrecked at Humboldt
March__, 1859---Success, bark, lost on the Humboldt bar
January 28, 1863---Aeolus, schooner, wrecked on the Humboldt Bar
November 14, 1864---Hartford, bark, ashore and wrecked at Humboldt Bay
April 18, 1875---Albert and Edward, schooner, capsized and lost on the Humboldt Bar
January 20, 1879---Johanna M. Brock, schooner, lost on the Humboldt Bar

From 1887 to 1897, an average of one vessel was lost every two miles along the 195 mile strech between the U.S. Life-Saving Stations at Point Arena and Humboldt Bay. That averages out to almost ten ships lost on that strech of coast for every year of that decade. Feel ready to sail into Humboldt Bay?

As it relates to the first postcard in the last scan, addressed to "Master" Harold B. Eglin, I found his obituary as recorded in the Times-Standard (Eureka, CA) on April 13, 1973. It suggests he was born in 1900, which would have made him about 7 or 8 years old at time the postcard was sent, thus a totally appropriate use (for the time) of the title "Master":

Thank you wt1, it is always nice to be able to add more information about the addressee. In that postcard collection that I bought from one of Harold's decendences, there are several from and to Harold after the move to Frendale.

The obituary says that the Eglin's ( William, Nora, and Harold) moved to Humboldt in 1909, it had to be after Harold mailed his last card from Point Arena ot Albion. They were in Frendale until 1911 when they moved to Arcata. My last card to Harold and his family is a 1939 Chriistmas card sent to Scotia from Scotia, and most likely from another employee of Pacific Lumber as the card is franked with a pre canceled 1 cent presidental.

After my want to buy Mendocino covers (towns listed) ran in La Posta for almost five years, I got a responce, from Las Vegas, offering a cover I showed last April 11th and today little gem. That same week, Schuyler Rumsey ran his Sale No.14, in it lot #134 was the matching Litte River CDS cover. Todays cover bears Little River's first postmark, Issiah Stevens ( Little River's first postmaster) manuscipt postmark, just barley tied.

Barcelona, April 23rd 1974. Saint George's Stamp Exhibition at the Palau de la Generalitat, Barcelona.

Northwest of Willits is the little town of Sherwood where this post card was mailed on April 23, 1911.

Just one postcard this morning, but it has two postmarks. Mailed from Fort Bragg to Tom Boyd in Albion. Rather an un-usual card, it appears to several photographs ( of the same young lady? ) decorating the name TOM, I guess she wanted to get his attention. Albion postmarked the card Rec'd with their as yet un-recorded reciever.

For today's date I have a cover with contents from Covolo, the mecca for Blacktail deer hunters. The Boone and Crockett club records show Covolo in Mendocono County California produces more record sized bucks than anywhere else in the Blacktails range.

I've transcribed the letter as best I can, a few letters are ??? Here are the contents;

Covolo April 24th 1875
Mr. G. Kingsly
Dear Sir
I have on hand about 1500 drest buck Skins of the very best kind. I think a better lot of skins never went into any market. I wish you to write to me if you wish to buy them and about what price you can pay for them per Doz. I can warrant you that you never bought a better lot of Skins before I have taken a great deal of panes in selecting them bought none but the very best you will please write to me as soon as you recieve this letter and give me all the information you can in regard to the market go, As I shall wait for an answer from you before starting to market with my skins
I remain yours very truly
C.H. Diggin
Really not sure on his last name. Below are both the letter and the cover. While not real early, this cover does bear Covolo's second postmark Williams # Men 790 and a six sectioned cork killer, would like to see a clearer strike of the killer.

Missed a postcard yesterday, I'll post that and a cover from the 15th of this month that I also skipped over. I tend to forget to check my other covers for dates, those not from the Redwood Empire. And to close the month, a scarce Doane postmark on a great postscard, both sides.

Both postcards were mailed from the same general area a day apart, the first came from Elk, and the scarce Doane is from Salsig, 12 miles southeast of Elk, on the Elk Creek Rail Road. the logging train carried the mail down to Elk where it entered the mails, the railroad being too short to qualify as a RPO.





Speaking of RPO's, the cover's postmark is a U. S. Route Agent postmark listed in C. L. Towle "U.S. Route and Station Agent Postmarks", for the Chesapeake & Ohio, Route 174, Route Agent, Williamson's-Ashland, routing through VA, WV and KY. The stamp is canceled with a negitive E, indicating this letter was mailed aboard the East bound train.





This next postcard is part of a very select group of postcards, all published by Richard Behrendt of San Francisco for the Toggery, C.C. Luiz, Prop. Mendocino featuring coastal scenes. They were part of the Boyd Eglin family postcard correspondence, When Clyde Boyd took a job in Salsig, he bought a half dozen or more cards to bring along, I have 5 that he mailed while working that spring. This is the first of those cards.

I just can't leave April with out showing the Reed cover, mailed from New York on Apr 16 187?, the cover bears an I grill 136, embossed strongly enough to break paper at the top of the grill. The stamp also has a long tool mark running from the top margin through the S of U.S.

My first May 1 postmark is on a cut down PSE from Allianoe up in Humboldt County. It also has tomorrow's postmark on the back, an unrecorded Arcata reciever. Looks like it may have been tax time in Humboldt, a double weight letter to the county clerk..









The second May 1st postmark is also from Humboldt county, town of Orleans. One of a group of six, all sent to Cambridge City, Indiana. This cover is the third of the six chronically. Three more of these Orleans covers to show in the coming months, one later this month.

Three postmarks today, a pc and two nice covers, first the postcard's nice and clear postmark.




And now for the two covers with today's date postmarked on them, the first is an early Hydesville, located on the Eel River, Humboldt county. The Williams book California Towm postmarks 1849 - 1935 lists Hadesville as opening on Aug 27 1861 and still open. Hydesville first postmark a manuscript town name, the Williams book estimates the first use to be 1863. This cover is franked with Scott #68, the 10 yellow green of 1861, the trancontinental first class rate was reduced to 3 cents per 1/2 oz to all parts of the U.S. on July 1 1863. I believe that my Hydesville cover was mailed before that date.





The next cover is a lovely registered cover from Cuffey's Cove, that beautifull tiny shipping point on the Mendocino coast. This cover matches the location with it's own beauty, not a lot more I can say, so I'll let the cover speak for it's self. Love these mixed franked covers!