The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-01

! farmers of the northwest. are H. A..
| Clarke, engaged in North Dakota, Messrs.
| Mason and Boylan, whose territory is
within the bounds of Iowa. Mr.. Col
clazar devotes his time to Texas, Mr..
| LleWellyn to Kansas, and Mr.. De La Mon
! tanga to California; the remaining mem
! bers of the western division staff do work
| In various widely settled counties. The
middle district, which includes Wisconsin,
is in charge Of Special Agent S. B. Rath-
! bone of indianapolis.
.5>~. A Little History.
! The western division of the rural free
| delivery service Was organized May I,
| 1900, with headquarters at Denver. 1t
was taken from the old western division
| now The middle division, and originally
comprised all the states and territories
OF Minnesota Iowa. Kansas, Mis-
souri, and Louisiana = in all four
teen. The following August, Iowa
! and Kansas were added making the divi-
sion include all states and territories west
of the Mississippi except Minnesota,
Missouri and Louisiana. Minnesota was
added Feb. l. 1901.
This great stretch of territory compris-
ing nearly half the area of the United
States has by reason OF geographical and
Typographical conditions furnished to
large number peculiar, sometimes unique,
problems, not to be found in any of the
other three divisions. These are the
| eastern, the southern and the middle,
which divide between themselves the ter
ritory east OF the Mississippi, with the
added states of Missouri and Louisiana.
When the western division was opened,
only six agents We're assigned to it's work.
These We're George Olson and H. j. Orms-
| by, of Wisconsin, G.. p. Llewellyn OF Ne
brasha, a. Hammer Of Illinois, and J. B.
Jeffery, of California. All these with
the exception of Major Jeffrey, were de-
tached from the old western division and
had been previously experienced in the
work of rural free delivery establishment.
Only Special Agents Ornsby and Level.
Ign, of those who attic ndeG the, first meet
! ing of agents of the. then new western
/ division are now in the service. Suisse
quently Special Agents NJ. de la Montanyal
of California, J.. "A. Thompson of Colora-
t do, H. A. Clarke OF Wyoming, John T..
/ Boylan of Iowa, IT. Il. Colclazer of Penn
/ sylvania, G.. Gllttersen of Minnesota,
/ Charles +. Mason Of Iowa and w. D. Gill
j bert of Kansas were added to the field
| force Of .I,e dvsion.
| When the western division began its
| work only seventy five routes had been es-
| tablished in its territory. Of these thirty
were IL California. The accretion Of
| Iowa. Kansas and Minnesota added 307
i routes. In the division as now defined,
! 3S2 rural free delivery routes were es-
tablished prior to it's constitution as a
| separate division and the subsequent adj
EDITION of Kansas Iowa and Minnesota
! Dec. 81, 1901, 2,315 routes had been favor
! ably reported on. When the division
i commenced operations less than 800 petit
/ tions for rural routes we're pending A
year ago, in October 1901, sos cases were
! in its hands for Investigation. Last Oc-
/ tober more than four times that number
Ewere on the files of the western. division.
j Dec 81, 1901, 2,o31 pending applications
/ for rural routes We're Enacted upon. Near
| ly LOO of these came from the states of
Iowa, Kansas, Texas, Nebraska, and Mn
i nesota in the order named. OF these 624
1 We're from Iowa alone. 395 from Kansas.
i 262 from Texas, .255 from Nebraska and
1 254 from Minnesota.
The record of rural free delivery work
/ and pending cases in Minnesota on Dec.
/ 81. 1901, was as follows:
Re- Estab- Pend
District ported. hshed. ing.
4 First ........... -. !. !. ..... 40 "A 81
II Second 10