Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-02-26
Old Times.

Ed. Register Looking over the
Worlds aim anac for the year 1887,
find there was over 13 900 newspapers
and periodicals printed in the United
States, and 81 900 in the world. Ho"
many have since been added to the list?
I do not know. AS | read l thought
what change in the past fifty years
| remember when | carried the mall,
there were but very few newspapers
printed in the United States, and L do
not think there were more than two
dozen pagers printed in all the ONO
and Mississippi valley. l do not thinK
there were more than dozen west OF
the Mississippi river at the time we
came to this country,a do not think
there were five hundred copies OF any
newspaper. or rather five bundred sun
scribers to any one newspapers III ''e
state of Missouri outside of the city OF
ST. Louis. In our mail the postmaster
at Caledonia. which was the distribute
ing office fOr Southeast Missouri, sald
the inhabitants of Arcadia Valley TOOK
the largest number and the largest va
riety of any post-office in Southeast
Missouri, al d the papers were the 81.
Louis Republican, New York Ooser0'
er, one or two numbers of paper print
ed al jefferson City, No, and, think,
one from Jackson, Mo-, and the Anaer-
- n
lean Agriculturist. and | took the O0f-
Tar newspaper, a handsome paper loli
of rich, spicy reading, just such as
boy of my age delights toread. Stories
of hunters and trappers, voyages ana
discoveries. Stories of loves and hates,
stories of eroes and heroines. At that
time there were three or four weekly
mail routes to different parts of South
east Missouri. one from Caledonia to
Van Buren, in what is now Carter
county. Judge HaDyer was mail car
rier and contractor. 1t took just six
DAYS to make the trip, to go and come.
The last two days he passed but two
houses. He told me there were but
one or two families living at the town,
which consisted of two houses, and
blacksmith shop. The post-office was
kent in the top of the post masters
hat. When the mail came the post
master would put all the letters in tie
top of his hat and go about his work.
If man came for his mail he would
go and hunt up the post office. When
he had found the office the postmaster
would take his hat off and look over
the mail to see if there were auy letters
in the office for him, When there was
DOT often in those days. have often
heard of circulating libraries, but that
was the only circulating post-office L
ever heard of, and do not doubt the
old mans word about it, for he was a
man of e ,od standing in all the COM
munity. Our old postmaster, Solomon
Brill, kept large saddle and harness
shop and he made splendid saddles.
Such saddles we do not see this day.
Some Of tie ladies' saddles We're worth
thirty, forty and fifty dollars and when
on one of those beautiful riding horses
and the young lady in her best riding
costume mounted on the horse, 1t was
something to stir the very depths OF
the inerm1st recesses of the heart. A
more lovely sight would be hard to
find. have always been lover of
good horse and nice saddle. | well
remember every Saturday. The men
for miles around (for Saturday was the
great day of the week for the arrival
and departure Of all the maiis) would
assemble at the post-ofiice to learn The
latest news, which might be two or
three weeks old by the time 1T reached
this neck of the woods. Just think
when you read paper printed IN Ne"
York or Boston. and you looked at the
date YOU would find it two weeks old.
or may be three. How plain can see
and call to mind the names of most OF
those men who met around the big