Postal Routes To USA States 1854 To 1862

Hello everybody, I'm collecting covers from Switzerland to USA from 1854 to 1862 (all franked with sitting Helvetia imperate stamps) and would like to create an article; in my collection are covers to 19 different states, known so far are covers to 28 different states; now: I'm looking for literature with Information to postal routes (railway, by horse, water etc) from Port of Destination mainly New York, Boston to following states: Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Michigan, Louisiana, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, California, South Carolina, Indiana and Maine for example
would appreciate your information about books or Internet sites info about it, thank you very much! best regards Peter

here an example of a cover to Indiana

If you can read German there is a book written by Richard Schafer entitled 1459-1907, Der Briefpostverkehr Schweiz-Ausland, Swiss Letter Mail to Foreign Countries published in 1995. While the title might make you think it is bi-lingual, it is not. However, there are a number of color illustrations of covers. Unfortunately, I do not think that there any books about the handling of the mails in the US. It is mostly on a hit or miss basis. There are books on the Railroads and Steamboats which would apply if there are markings that can be identified with a railroad or steamer. Hugh Feldman (who has a new book on the various railroad routes up to 1875 that is due to published by the Chicago Collectors Club some time this year) has done quite a large amount of research in the US Archives which is where some of this information will lie, by tracking the postal routes.

You might check the exhibit, frame 5, here that shows the three principal routes:

http://www.rfrajola.com/agx/agx5.htm

If you have a specific question, I can relay the question to Richard Schaefer for you.

I just remembered - I also have a portion of Richard Schaefer's "Mail from Switzerland" collection that was in my Nov 2012 sale (sale 1s over). The page of Swiss mail to US is here:

http://www.rfrajola.com/sale/RFSaleP6.htm

thank you very much wtcrowe and Richard Frajola for your information about my request, of course I have the book from Richard Schaefer sen which has a lot of Information its a need to have it when collecing covers from Switzerland to foreign countries, again many thanks for the tip of Frank Feldman and his coming book
best regards
Peter