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The Overland Mail Service (and Stagecoach)After writing the blog just below this one about the Overland Mail Service, I began to find more and more research resources and, although I will continue researching, I have decided that at this point I have no reason to make any corrections to what I've already written. I'm going to stand by it. Yes, I'm aware that it may not have happened exactly as I describe, but for the lack of known facts, I see no reason to change it. It's as factual as I presently can get it.
I finally managed to get a copy of "The Overland Mail" book (from St. Louis to San Francisco) which was documented by a Waterman L. Ormsby. Mr Ormsby was the first passenger to ride the stagecoach from the beginning to the end (going from East to West). Mr Ormsby documented it for what was then the "New York Herald" back in mid 1858. The New York Herald published it over the months of September, October and November of 1858. His book is apparently the only documented source for this route from beginniing to end. This is not to say that there were not reports by individuals on portions of the mail route. It just means that there were not many reports that carried authenticity.
Some of the things that I have found amusing was the fact that there was no place to lie in even a semi prone position. Most trips from St. Louis to San Francisco took at least twenty three days. That would be days and nights. I cannot even imagine what it must have been like to sit there that long with only short breaks to change out a team of horses or mules as the route dictated. In one of the journals that I read the comment was made that "if a passenger drifted off to sleep - and happened to fall forward - he most probably lost his seat". I wonder how people actually travelled the entire route!
Back to my research.
Blessings, all.
Luke (Lee) (Rev. 03.11.09) TrackbacksWeblogs that reference this entry
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