28 January 2002 La Posta
Figure 19 Large cds Kamuela, Hawaii postmark
designed for use at the Kawaihae Rural Station in
Hawaii’s waning territorial days. It was located on Hilo.
Figure 21 U.S. airmail postal stationery card mailedAnd third, perhaps it’s the exotic names of the post
from San Juan, Puerto Rico’s Cupey Gardens Rural
offices and rural stations that will attract the collec-
Station in July, 1961. The bottom picture gives the
tors of the future, just as they pull at today’s collec-
reader a better image of the cancellation. One wonders
tors. Many of the smaller places may not exist a cen-
how many rural stations the San Juan P.O. served in the
tury from now, which will make mail from them even
late 1950s.
more avidly sought. Thus, I expect rural station mail
from our 49th and 50th states will be in hot demand in The political status of Puerto Rico a century from now
2101. Figures 12 through 20 are examples of rural might not be so easy to predict. Puerto Rico remained
stations located in the Hawaiian Islands at the time of an area of great conflict as the 21st century began,
its change from territorial status to statehood. primarily due to the U.S. Navy’s use of Visque Island
as an ordinance testing range.
Some voters wanted to annex Puerto Rico and make it
our 51st state, while other groups wanted total au-
tonomy for the island.
Many Puerto Ricans wanted to maintain the status quo
- the island’s commonwealth status But one thing is
certain - covers and cards from rural stations that ex-
isted there circa 1960 will be hard to find. I predict
Figure 20 The Pahoa, Hawaii P.O. was also located on
Hilo and also served the Kapoho Rural Station in
1959. Note the airmail postal stationery.
The crystal ball becomes murky when we consider how
rural stations from the Trust Territory of Guam and
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico will be scrutinized
by the collectors of the future. If we knew what each
place’s sovereign status would become in the next
hundred years, it would be easier to assess the value
of Guam and Puerto Rico material mailed at the mid-
point of the 20th century.
Figure 22 Large cds Yauco, P.R. postmark which
includes the Rubias Rural Station which it served. The
back of the card shownsan image of the double-circle
postmark used at the Yauco post office, Rubias Rural
Station in late 1958.
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