20 January 2002 La Posta
Figure 1 U.S. Government postal cards mailed from Alaskan post offices prior to 1900 are exceedingly scarce.
This 1891 example from Sitka is the seventh earliest example recorded by the author.
19th Century Alaska Postal Cards: a Census
In fact, in 1890, the census found under 28,000 peopleBy Don Glickstein
in the territory, of whom just 4,300 were white, and pre-
Covers from Alaska during the 19th century are scarce,
sumably literate with someone to write to on the outside.
and even harder to find than covers are government
Even in 1900, after gold rush had begun, the white
postal cards.
population was just half of the 60,000 total.
A 1998 census by Alaska Collectors Club member Bob
That still doesn’t explain why postal cards are so com-
McKain identified 530 Alaska covers from the 19th cen-
paratively rare.
tury. Of those, 14 were postal cards. Since then, I’ve
I have two theories.
identified an additional seven cards, one of which has a
“received” cancel, and the other is a registered-mail
First, it’s clear from the McKain census that most corre-
penalty card.
spondence was to the lower 48 states. Anyone wishing
to send a card most likely sent a picture post card, a sou-
Why so few covers in a territory with 60,000 residents
venir for family and friends back home. If picture post
in 1900?
cards were available, photographers were also available
Richard Helbock, editor of La Posta and author of the
in many gold rush towns; presumably, photographs were
basic Alaska postal history reference, Postmarks of Ter-
mailed in envelopes.
ritorial Alaska, offered a major reason. In a 1977 La
Second, it may be that Alaskan post offices didn’t have
Posta article, Helbock noted that there simply weren’t
large supplies, if any, of postal cards. It’s likely that
that many people in the territory. Only two post offices,
many travelers brought their own cards with them. I’m
Sitka and Fort Wrangel, existed in 1880, some 13 years
unaware of records that might show what stamps and
after the U.S. bought Alaska. By the end of the decade
postal stationery was shipped to Alaska postmasters.
only 12 post offices operated in the territory. Most were
“very small, low-business offices from which surviving
The census
postmarks are sure to be very scarce.” he wrote.
While the 1890s saw a dramatic increase in the number The next oldest card for which I have the message is from
of post offices, most of the increase wasn’t seen until
Fort Wrangel, like Sitka, on the Alaskan panhandle.
1898 and 1899, during the gold rush.
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