In researching my post about Pasco a couple of weeks ago, I ran onto several interesting items about early postal routes in Missouri. Because I was looking for information about Pasco at the time, the item that first caught my attention was an article in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat in March 1854 that detailed, among other routes, the route between Lebanon and Springfield.
The mail left Lebanon every Monday morning at 8:00 a.m. and traveled to Springfield by way of Long Lane, Buffalo, Shady Grove, Pasco, and Hickory Barren, arriving in Springfield by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday and covering a distance of 58 miles. Obviously, the mailman stayed overnight somewhere along the line, but the article did not say where.
After spending Tuesday night in Springfield, the mailman started back for Lebanon at 7:00 a.m. Wednesday morning, stopping at the same places he stopped on the way down. He arrived in Lebanon by 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. What he did and where he stayed during his three-day hiatus between Thursday and Monday would be interesting to know, but the article also did not provide that tidbit.
One of the things I find fascinating about this mail route is the fact that most of the towns where the mailman stopped have long ago faded into oblivion. Pasco, which I wrote about a couple of weeks ago, is just one example. In fact, Lebanon, Buffalo, and Springfield are about the only ones that haven't disappeared, or nearly so.
Four years earlier, in February 1850, the mail route that ran northeast from Springfield was somewhat different. For one thing, Pasco did not yet have a post office, but the main difference was that the other terminus (besides Springfield) was Tuscumbia, not Lebanon. Another important difference was that the Tuscumbia route was considerably longer than the Lebanon route.
The mailman started from Tuscumbia in Miller County at 6:00 a.m. each Monday and traveled to Springfield by way of West Glaize, Dry Glaize, Wiota, Buffalo, Shady Grove, and Hickory Barren, arriving in Springfield by 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday and covering a distance of 103 miles. Notice that the mailman spent two nights on the road, instead of only one night that he would have to spend on the road four years later.
After laying over in Springfield, the 1850 mailman started back for Tuscumbia at 6:00 a.m. Thursday morning and arrived at his destination by 6:00 p.m. Saturday. Presumably, he had to start all over again after just one day's rest. Not a job I would have enjoyed.
1 comment:
Early postal routes would have been a rough go & a young mans game, but consider the stories heard each evening at the stops along the way... I wonder if the contracted individual could have re-contracted the ride to younger individuals? Wiota never permanently remained on the map. Benjamin B Harrison platted Wiota & the Missouri General Assembly recognized it prior to the sale of lots in 1848. No sooner had Harrison begun selling lots for Wiota, Camden County, Missouri, than the legislature created Laclede County from Camden territory. The new appointed commissioners deciding the location of the new county seat. I have no proof, but I suspect the old Wiota location/plat was reborn as Lebanon Missouri (newer citizens preferring the name Lebanon in remembrance of their old home in Tennessee). County lore notes Wiota/Lebanon was located on an older Osage village site known by natives as Wyota/Wiota. If anyone would have been privileged to that early territorial knowledge, it would've been Benjamin B Harrison who grew up roaming the area prior to forced removal of the Osage. Lebanon-Laclede 175 Years in 2024. I enjoy your blog. Thank you.
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