Funter AK Emergency Airmail Service Apr 25 1936

Can Somebody tell me if this is listed in the American Airmail Catalog? (AAMC)

Is there a backstamp as to when it might have arrived in Juneau? The only thing close that I see in my copy of the AAMC is Alaska pioneer flight #225 from Elfin Cove to Juneau on May 2, 1936. Funter was between Elfin Cove and Juneau on Route #11. The timing and location are tantalizingly close, making one wonder if there is a connection.

here is a scan of the back

Well, I really don't know what to make of it. On the surface, this would appear to be a flight not cataloged in the AAMC, and only a week before the flight cataloged as #225 on the same route. Though marked as "emergency" airmail, the AAMC notes that there was no regular service in Alaska, as such, before 1938, and "that all early flights in Alaska were more or less of an emergency nature." These were "Star routes" -- mail carried by private carriers under contract. I don't know much more about them, than this, from reading the AAMC. Funter was closer to Juneau than any other city in the Panhandle, so perhaps mail got carried to Juneau from Funter more often than is recorded in AAMC.

Is there any indication that this was "actual" mail, as opposed to a philatelic creation? Despite the markings front and back to "forward" it to an address in Portland, OR, it appears that it was flown only from Funter to Juneau. It is postmarked Apr 25 in Funter, and Apr 27 in Juneau. It is a short flight, with no intermediate stops, from Funter to Juneau, but I suppose it could have sat in Funter another day before actually being flown to Juneau.

Interesting cover, which raises more questions than I can answer.

Basil

April 25th was a Saturday so it makes sense that the receiving stamp was on Monday the 27th.

I wonder if the recipient isn't this guy http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/f...6404&df=all&

Not sure which member here has a subscription to Ancestry.com but perhaps he will chime in.

-MV

I have a subscription to Ancestry.com and found that Mr. Koestler published a book "Sourdough Flights; 2nd ED of the Koestler Alaska flight catalog, Rev and Published by Jesse G Johnson Norfolk VA c. 1941 60 pages Illus., maps 1st Ed was serial in Western Stamp Collector.

That's interesting! Gives a bit of provenance to the cover. Have you located a copy?

It is a puzzle. It could be an unlisted flight. Or another explanation is that it could be something made by this first flight cover dealer/preparer for a flight that never happened which is why it would be unlisted. I don't know.

blcjr,

I haven't even looked for the catalog, in fact until yesterday I didn't even know there was a Alaska flight catalog

maybe find the copies of the Western Stamp Collector that this was serialized in.

The American Philatelic Society Research Library has both the original 1936 edition by Koestler on Alaska first flights plus the 1941 second edition. If this one is listed there it would be in the second edition. They also have copies of two articles written by Koestler on Alaska first flights. Below are the entries from the APS Research Library card catalog which is available on line for members and non-members to use for free http://catalog.stamplibrary.org/Inm...ie/opac.aspx Note that this on-line card catalog covers not only the very large holdings of the APS, but also the holdings of the 11 other research libraries that hold large numbers of philatelic books and articles. The APS Research Library will either loan books to APS members or they will also photocopy pages out of the books they have for $4.00 for the first page plus 25 cents for each additional page. For example I recently had them photocopy and email to me 20 pages out of the out of print Higgins and Gage Postal Stationery of the World catalog that was last printed in 1986 and the total cost was just $8.75. Keep in mind that the cost includes the time for one of their professional librarians to find the right book and do the photocopying and emailing to you so it is really modest. Alternatively members can visit the library for free in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania if you are ever in the area. Bellefonte is in central Pennsylvania, a few miles up the road from State College which is where Pennsylvania State University is. Having open access to this huge library electronically or in person is one of the reasons why I am a member of the APS.

1. Alaska airmail, a cover catalog / Koestler, August E. -- Portland, Oregon: Western Stamp Collector, [1936]. (Book) HE6238 .K78a 1936 Location: APRL
2. Sourdough flights, second edition of the Koestler Alaska flight cover catalogue / Koestler Alaska flight cover catalogue / (2d ed. --) / Johnson, Jesse G. -- [Norfolk, Va.]: by the
author,, 1941. (Book) G4371 .P8576 J67s 1941 Location: APRL
3. Alaska : Development of its System of Communications / Koestler, A. E., 1944 June. Cover News (Article)
4. Alaska : Emergency Mail Flights from the Islands / Koestler, A. E., 1944 July. Cover News (Article)

Great information, Kimo. I've also used the APRL to have them copy material for me. It is a fantastic resource.