I got this cover from one of our SOR members at the Minnesota Postal History meeting this week. It is going from Pine Bend MN to Redwood Falls MN. There is a receiving cancel on the back of the cover that I could really use some help in identifying the post office. I originally thought that it looked like Hastings MN, but that just doesn't seem to make sense geographically, unless postal routes in 1888 were very different.
re: Need some help from anyone interested in Minnesota Postal History
Both look like Sept 18 cancels...is this correct? Wondering how it would go over 240 miles in one day in 1888 - that's a long way by horse. Excellent images, by the way. I don't have any ideas, just questions, sorry
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re: Need some help from anyone interested in Minnesota Postal History
Which way did the railroads run ?
There may not have been a north/south rail route, so it may have made sense to send it east to hasting and then north west to Pine Bend.
Charlie
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re: Need some help from anyone interested in Minnesota Postal History
If the first 3 letters on the receiving mark are "HAS", and I think they are, the only two other post offices open in Minnesota in 1888 were Hassan and Hasty - both down towards Minneapolis. My guess would be the letter was dropped at one of these stations. Routing would make sense in 1888 if Minnesota was similar to New England towns.
re: Need some help from anyone interested in Minnesota Postal History
Hi Tim;
Here is something odd. The cancel on the upper part of the flap is reading backwards.
Does that mean it was transfered from another piece of mail? I don't think it would be
possible to buy metal type that reads backwards tho.