Canada - Muskoka Sagamo Cover

This one's for Bujutsu, who IS Muskoka.



Gustav Lund was a California chemist who worked for Shell Oil. He was also a philatelist with a passion for sea covers. For over 87 years he collected and wrote about mail posted at sea, editing the newspaper The Seaposter and publishing the book 'The Paquebot Marks o the Americas'. He and his wife collected seapost covers from all sorts of ships. I have another postmarked on the SS Cairnesk.
This one, postmarked on July 7, 1949 (which would also have been Ringo Starr's 9th birthday!) comes from Muskoka and is marked by the SS Sagamo. Sagamo was launched in 1906 and plied Lake Muskoka until retiring in 1958. The following year she was turned into a restaurant.
The cover bears a 1930 1¢ KGV arch stamp, making it's 1949 postmark rather late usage.

Hi jamesw

Mr. Muskoka reporting

Thanks for sharing this cover. This is a beauty. I too have covers addressed to Gustav Lund and also with "Paquebots" markings from around the globe.

I have to admit that this is the first cover I have seen with the "MLN" marking on it.

For some years, for those of us who studied the Muskoka postmarks, it was believed that the Muskoka Lakes Steamer cancellations were 'assigned' to specific' steamers; however, this was not the case. Some years back Linda bumped into a man we both knew that used to be on the steamers and the "Sagamo" ("Big Chief" on Ojibwa) was one of them. She mentioned to him that I was a researcher for the postmarks of the area and he stated to her the following: "These postmarks were NOT assigned to any specific steamer". He then pointed out why, and it made perfect sense - that these hammers were transferred to the different vessels for a variety of reasons such as a mechanical breakdown, inspection, illness or whatever the reason.
Whenever a specific steamer could not be used, the hammer would be transferred to another vessel so that the mail would be properly cancelled for that day of use. So, in other words, your hammer was used on the "Sagamo' on July 7, 1949, but, could also have been used on another steamer - for example the "Segwun" which is also my avatar (Ojibwa for "Springtime") on another date.

Sure is a great cover, and, if you decide to part with it, let me know first

All the best

Chimo

Bujutsu

Hi again

I should have pointed out for those in the SCF who are not familiar with these cancellations that there were 2 hammers. The one jamesw has shown and another one inscribed "MUSKOKA LAKES STEAMER No. 1" as well. Both of them were in use from 1911 to 1950. Dates quoted from Lewis M. Ludlow's reference book "Catalogue of Canadian Railway Cancellations and Related Transportation Postmarks"

Chimo

Bujutsu

Cheers Mr. B!
Your info will go on the album page. What a resource this place is.

forgot the photo

Nice photo

I remember as a child being on either the "Segwun", Cherokee" and "Sagamo" on the 100 Miles Cruise, as they were referred to back then (1950s,) with my parents, brother & sister. I still get to the lakes on occasion. Back in those days a lot of the islands on the lakes were still w/o cottages and you could dock, with private boats, without trespassing on someone's land. You can still send a postcard or cover to this day and have a special cancel applied to it.

Chimo

Bujutsu