Details For Cover ID# 30384

"Via San Antonio and El Paso" ("Jackass Mail" Route). Sender's directive written across top of cover to Mrs. Wright, Nueces Town, Texas, originating with two 3c Dull Red, Ty. III (26), each with manuscript "X" cancel, red "Jackson Cal. Feb. 5, 1860" circular datestamp.

AN EXTREMELY RARE COVER WITH CLEARLY STATED DIRECTIVE "VIA SAN ANTONIO AND EL PASO" THAT WAS CARRIED ON THE MODIFIED "JACKASS MAIL" OVERLAND ROUTE.

This cover is described and illustrated in an article by Richard Frajola and Floyd Risvold ("Deconstructing the Jackass Mail Route," Chronicle 220, November 2008), from which it states:

"On February 1, 1860 the route was further reduced when service between San Diego and Fort Yuma (shown in red on the map in Figure 1) was ordered to be discontinued by the post office, effective from April 1, 1860. The post office reduced the compensation due Gidding and Doyle by a further $28,695 per annum. This left the line operating only the coach-route between El Paso and San Antonio, and eliminated the service by mule. By all meaningful definitions, the "Jackass Mail" route was terminated at this point

There are two additional covers reported that were endorsed to be carried on the San Antonio and El Paso portion of the route. Both of these originated in Jackson, California and are addressed to Nueces Town, Texas, in the spring of 1860. This is a wonderful pair of covers as they were actually handled differently.

The earlier of the two, shown in Figure 4 [the cover offered in this lot], is endorsed "Via San Antonio and El Paso" at the top and franked at double the three-cent rate for under 3,000 miles. It has a red Jackson, California postmark dated February 5, 1860 and was carried late in the State 3 period of the route. Instead of going via San Diego, the cover was carried on the portion of the Butterfield overland route, via San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Fort Yuma to El Paso. There it was transferred to the still-surviving segment of the Giddings and Doyle route from El Paso to San Antonio and then onward to Nueces Town, Texas."

Ex Risvold, Kramer, Walske, Magnolia