"U.S. Postal Service’s bumpy beginnings"
"... 'The best seat inside a stage is the one next to the driver. Even if you have a tendency to seasickness when riding backward — you’ll get over it and will get less jolts and jostling.' That’s what the Omaha Herald advised its readers in a series of tips for riding the stagecoaches linked to the Union and Central Pacific railways in 1877. Most of the regional service stages were manufactured in Concord, N.H., along the classic 'Concord Coach' lines. They had padded leather seats, a thoroughly braced suspension to buffer the bumps of the harsh, unpaved roads and an improved braking system. These stages were luxurious compared to the first transcontinental stages that went into service two decades earlier. ... " [More]
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CONKLING, ROSCOE P. AND MARGARET B. CONKLING. THE BUTTERFIELD OVERLAND MAIL 1857-1869. IT'S ORGANIZATION AND OPERATION OVER THE SOUTHERN ROUTE TO 1861; SUBSEQUENTLY OVER THE CENTRAL ROUTE TO 1866; AND UNDER WELLS, FARGO AND COMPANY IN 1869. Glendale: Arthur H. Clark, 1947. First edition. Three octavo volumes. Volume I: 412pp.,Volume II: 446pp., Volume III: 8pp., plus 76 plates and three fold-out maps. "Remember boys, nothing on God's earth must stop the United States mail!" ... John Butterfield's instructions to his drivers. "The primary source of information on the Butterfield Overland Mail, the first great overland postal service from the Mississippi River to the Pacific coast. The reviews were almost embarrassing in their praise. With its detailed information on routes, the various stations, the personnel, it is constantly in demand, and the book's value has appreciated dramatically over the years." ... Clark/Brunet. The southern route began in St. Louis, Missouri, went through Fort Smith, Arkansas, and then continued through Indian Territory, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Baja California, and California ending in San Francisco. A biography of John Butterfield is given along with briefer biographies of the officers of the company, a mile-by-mile study of the location and history of every station along the route .. not only in Texas but also from Missouri through California to San Francisco. Additionally, dimensions of the various coaches and wagons used are given along with a history of the coach makers. (47150) CLARK/BRUNET 58.
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