The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1888-12-07
sEiTLES P0STOFFICE.
sseteh of It's Career Through
Thirty-Five Years.
rae Canoe ExPress-PEimitiss Mall
Fscfiitiss-The Postmasters-The
present omce-Ths Business

TIC recent ftatA0FAA VI tAA- ssI@AAAt
,ostofflce from it, miserable quarters
= the old building next to the PosT-
Tx1vf1reFxcKR Office, and it, estab-
,shment In it, elegant and thorough
fv-eeuipped apartments ia the Boston
blocE renders opportlne n sketch Of
fba pgstoffice history OF Seattle, from
tbe early time when it was inaugural
al with the most primitive appliances
and uncertain facilities for the trans
rnis.;oE OF mails. and operated through
aeoarse Of years under the most dis
.eouraging conditions, Wrestling its
means OF support from the govern
men. only on the most urgent presen-
.a.ion OF it, needs. down to the pres
ont when it has beconIe healthy and
seIf-sustainiBg institution. and IN re-
.eipts and disbursements ranks any
otber postofEice in Washington.
Prior to is53 the few settlers OF Sc
attic received their mail from Olympia,
tho nearest postofiice, by canoe ex
press. for which service Robert Nozzle
vas hired to make weekly trips be-
tween the two points. Twenty-Five
can't. was charged for every letter. and
nearly everybody benefited subscribed
something in addition 10 support the
express. The last express was re
eeiyed August Is. 1853, and brought
y letters and II papers.
THE FIRST OFFICE.
The establishment OF the first post
Office and the appointment Of the
postmaster is narrated in A. A. Dem
av's Pioneer Days on Puget Sound, -
In the following manner:
sOn August Z7th, having been appointed
V,0stnlaster, / received the Grst United
stafes mail ever delivered In seattle, and
opened the Office In r log cabin. where
Frye's opera hoHse now stands. /, how
ever, was not permitted 10 enjoy the dis
tfuguished honor aud immense emolu-
rnents Of the position long for Maynard
and two or three kindred spirits very Sc.
cretiy represented Ia the department that
/ was no, in sympathy with the admins
ration in fact. that was not only Whig.
bat al offensive partisan. aud got rae re
lieved Oct llth, IsJ3, by the appointment
ofw J. Wright, little drunken doctor.
"This intrlgue was discovered not long
after the petition had gone on, and Geo. n
McConDa7G and other friends Of the Rd-
ninistration-lu other words. Democrats
forwarded protest, aud ON MAY (, 1854, |
Nhs reconnaissance W fiDfaAAo hiAEs Hfst
assistant postmaster e neral. but deeiin.
ed the appointment About this time
Wright left The country, forgetting 70 pay
his bills before starting or settle with the
department, and Chas. Plummer was next
appointed.
TEN YEARS or SERVICE.
offensive partisanship" appears "a
nave cut a very slight figure in Mr.
Plummer's management of the office
Tor he held the place through Pierce
and Buchanan's administrations and
under Linooln's up to about 1853
when he resigned and Frank Matthia.
who had been Piummer's clerk, a..
sumed charge OF the Office. During
the terms OF service Of Messrs. Plum
mer and Matthias the Office was located
in wooden building on the corner OF
Main and Commercial streets, opposite
The New England hotel.
PIONEER NAIL FACiLiTrEs.
The mail facilities during the greater
portion OF the decade underwent little
Improvement, the old Eliza AndersoH
making weekly trips TO Olympia for
letters and papers. Before the found
ing Of Tacoma the ADderson's service
was from Olympia t. Victoria. Ocean
steamers for short time made month
ly trips from San Francisco to Olym.
pia, touching only at Port Townsend
and Contemptuousiy sailing by the
scattering hamlet Of Seattle as entirely
too insignificant to be honored with a
landing
These steamers brought mail
but the regular mail vas by wav OF the
Columbia river 10 Portlan@ "a back
from Portland 70 MunuceIlo. thence
usually up the river by canoe 10 Cow
iitz landing, and over one OF the worst
roads In America to Olympia. III
time the road was opened through to
Monticello, and was called stage line
the Sagon being ORA n usually BY
horses but some times by oxen and
very often not at all. but abandoned
IN the mud. the mails taken through
on horses and passengers footing itfl
they failed 10 find horses 10 carry
them.
WAITING FOB TIiE NAIL.
Many humorous incidents are mar.
rated OF the looseness OF the postal
system in those times Those DAYS up
on which the mail came we're notable
occasions. The arrival of the boat
5-sAA aAHN AAtf AAAAAA +aNAlA Wv fAiffld " As
awaited at the wharf by miScellane-
Gus crowd, anxious 90 receive some
message from loved ones far away. or
learn By newspaper the latest news.
then weeks old, of that world upon
which hacks had been couraceously
turned and the long journey ta the
wilderness of the far west sturdily IN
dertaken When the pouch was land
cd upon the wharf IL was there opened
anu assorted and letters given 90 those
OF the e2pea tant crowd no were so
fortunate as % have any friends or rel
atives OF writing inclination. Then
She remainder uf the mail was done up
and taken 10 the office
Mr.. KELLnGg's rINE.
Gardner Kellogg was the next APP
poiutee. and he held the office until
1873. During these ten years the
postal department. suffered several re-
moyals. IL Vas az Hrst on Mil street.
then II was changed To Commercial
street, where the Schwahacher build
ing now stands The third time the
ioauon was made ON the corner OF
front and Mil. upon which the Yes
ger building Vas aiterNard erected,
anu There u remained until Mr. kel-
logE gave up 80 has successor.
ben Mr.. Kellogg assumed the re-
spon,ihllitieS of the "Sasbyship" for
seattle, the emolumerts OF the posi-
Iea netted him about $40 per wear.
ihe ONCE Wa accepted hy him as by
nearly al Others in small town. not
eecAase OF the remuneration ar Of
Aeia1 standing II bestowed. bat be-
o4nSe OF the location Of the olbce in
Sohnectlon With business afforded a
Slha OF prestige that was sure 10 in
uace trade. At This period the salary
'Ae po-tma~ter was hardly sun
acltat To make an appreciable in
Stea,e IN hi, income. but
"a me wears preceding ISIS the town
steN rapidly and Mr. Kellogg retired
snth ne Wa~ drawing from Uncle sam
aetal SS}l per arGupt The maa ser
80 TOO. bad greatly improved From (.
- "n>at-.act ~ wcekly canoe trips /.
ssoN OWN IA. tIe yuA ages deyeiogFd .
- INTO semi week., auI fiualiy.a tn
roSiS service not oNjy FROM Oiym-
~ hai from all other consi lesahle
Pl'i,t' on the >ouUd. though of course
Ia va not received from ami sent
>" each tr.aCeSiN.
GILLIAN >rrrrErS KFlfreU.
II, Gillian succeeded Mr.. K,l-
,oSs and served during 1855 AMI 1874.
~, ne. Kept the office vu the ,ogth side 81