US Mail Star Route Wagon Real Photo Postcard Elton Nebraska Rural Carrier
$100.00
Condition: *Please* use the Hip photo magnifier to check for flaws on each picture, mouse over to zoom and ... Read more about the seller notes *Please* use the Hip photo magnifier to check for flaws on each picture ... Read More
Condition: *Please* use the Hip photo magnifier to check for flaws on each picture, mouse over to zoom and ... Read more about the seller notes *Please* use the Hip photo magnifier to check for flaws on each picture, mouse over to zoom and click to enlarge. Comes from a smoke free home. Common errors from the scanner vs damage are digital lines (usually grey or pink), cutting off the top of the card/words. Read Less about the seller notes
This remarkable real photo postcard (RPPC) captures a classic U.S. Mail Star Route horse-drawn wagon, photographed along a rural dirt trail near Elton, Nebraska. The handwritten notation on the back—“U.S. Mail Stage ‘Star Route’ Elton Neb”—beautifully matches the image, showing a rural postal carrier standing beside his two-horse mail wagon with “U.S. Mail” painted on the canvas cover.A Rare Glimpse of Early Postal HistoryBefore motorized delivery became standard, thousands of isolated farming communities across the West and Midwest depended on Star Routes—privately contracted mail carriers who traveled remote paths using horses, wagons, and sometimes even sleds. These carriers often worked long, rugged routes through fields, prairies, and ungraded roads like the one shown here.This image offers exceptional detail:Two strong draft horses in full harnessCovered U.S. Mail wagon with canvas topRural carrier wearing boots, hat, and jacketOpen, rolling prairie landscape typical of central NebraskaWagon wheels and tracks cutting through rutted grass and dirt terrainThe scene perfectly illustrates how the U.S. Post Office Department connected remote farms and ranches before Rural Free Delivery was fully established in the early 20th century.Postcard DetailsType: Real Photo Postcard (RPPC)Back: CYKO stamp box (commonly 1904–1920s)Location: Elton, Nebraska (identified in handwriting)Subject: U.S. Mail star-route carrier with horse-drawn wagonFormat: Unused, divided backHistorical ContextStar Routes—originally called “Star Contract Routes”—began in the 1840s. The name comes from the postal bidding designation “Celerity, Certainty, and Security”, often abbreviated with three stars (★ ★ ★). These routes became essential in sparsely populated states like Nebraska, where rail lines did not always reach small settlements.Horse-drawn U.S. Mail wagons like this were used well into the 1910s and sometimes later in remote areas.ConditionStrong, clear image with excellent rural detailSome age toning, light edge wear, and a small left margin flaw from original mounting or print processClean back with pencil notations identifying subject and locationWhy This Card Is ImportantRare Star Route mail wagon photographWestern/rural Nebraska subject matterStrong postal-history valueExcellent transportation and Americana contentWonderful, story-rich rural setting with a named locationA superb addition to collections of U.S. postal history, Nebraska rural history, early transportation, horses and wagons, or Star Route ephemera.
This remarkable real photo postcard (RPPC) captures a classic U.S. Mail Star Route horse-drawn wagon, photographed along a rural dirt trail near Elton, Nebraska. The handwritten notation on the back—“U.S. Mail Stage ‘Star Route’ Elton Neb”—beautifully matches the image, showing a rural postal carrier standing beside his two-horse mail wagon with “U.S. Mail” painted on the canvas cover.A Rare Glimpse of Early Postal HistoryBefore motorized delivery became standard, thousands of isolated farming communities across the West and Midwest depended on Star Routes—privately contracted mail carriers who traveled remote paths using horses, wagons, and sometimes even sleds. These carriers often worked long, rugged routes through fields, prairies, and ungraded roads like the one shown here.This image offers exceptional detail:Two strong draft horses in full harnessCovered U.S. Mail wagon with canvas topRural carrier wearing boots, hat, and jacketOpen, rolling prairie landscape typical of central NebraskaWagon wheels and tracks cutting through rutted grass and dirt terrainThe scene perfectly illustrates how the U.S. Post Office Department connected remote farms and ranches before Rural Free Delivery was fully established in the early 20th century.Postcard DetailsType: Real Photo Postcard (RPPC)Back: CYKO stamp box (commonly 1904–1920s)Location: Elton, Nebraska (identified in handwriting)Subject: U.S. Mail star-route carrier with horse-drawn wagonFormat: Unused, divided backHistorical ContextStar Routes—originally called “Star Contract Routes”—began in the 1840s. The name comes from the postal bidding designation “Celerity, Certainty, and Security”, often abbreviated with three stars (★ ★ ★). These routes became essential in sparsely populated states like Nebraska, where rail lines did not always reach small settlements.Horse-drawn U.S. Mail wagons like this were used well into the 1910s and sometimes later in remote areas.ConditionStrong, clear image with excellent rural detailSome age toning, light edge wear, and a small left margin flaw from original mounting or print processClean back with pencil notations identifying subject and locationWhy This Card Is ImportantRare Star Route mail wagon photographWestern/rural Nebraska subject matterStrong postal-history valueExcellent transportation and Americana contentWonderful, story-rich rural setting with a named locationA superb addition to collections of U.S. postal history, Nebraska rural history, early transportation, horses and wagons, or Star Route ephemera.
Seller Information
- Seller
- thepapergallery2 (2192)
- Registered Since
- 06/23/2010
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- The Paper Gallery
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- Item Location
- California, United States
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- Worldwide
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