Sunday, April 13, 2008
This article summarizes the mail delivery at Fort Custer, Junction, Etchetah, and Fort Pease prior to 1882[1]
Etchetah was located eight miles NE of Junction, and John C Guy operated the Post Office. (The various land & topo maps place it 6.4 miles east of Junction) This location is directly placed where old Fort Pease (Peasefort) was established by Paul McCormick and others. Guy provided board and room to travelers arriving on the stage from Rock Creek, and later, the Yellowstone Line, when they stopped at his location. Guy’s nearby land was actually on the south side of the river. [Note: The BLM blue index cards (lost homesteads) need to be researched to determine why he was on this site.]
Initial service was originally elected to be three times per week. The delivery stretches over 371 miles and 200 hours per week are expended in mail delivery. The route was packed with fraud and over-priced agents. On July 31, 1878. Eighteen bidders sought the route, but GL McDonough was given the contract for $11,777. The high bidders were GV Meserole and OJ Salisbury; quoting $27,000 each. The contract was for nine months starting October 1, 1878.
McDonough immediately sublet the contract for the same amount to John A Walsh. The service was shoddy, and on February 8, 1879 the 40-mile route section from Fort Custer to Etchetah was discontinued. (Note: Etchetah was eight miles northeast of Junction City, and was located on the Bozeman to Tongue River Road.) The mail delivery pay was reduced by $1,209 as a result. At that time all communication within Montana to Fort Custer was channeled through the Tongue River Road via the Yellowstone Stage Line service. Prior to the discontinuance, the Rock Creek route converged on the Yellowstone Stage Line route at right angles at the Etchetah PO; where mail was transferred. With the loss of this route section, no mail delivery to Fort Custer was provided. To offset this problem, the Postal Service directed the Yellowstone Stage Line carrier to “bend their line” so as to cover Fort Custer on their way to Fort Keogh.
On March 9, 1879, McDonough & Walsh were declared “failing contractors’ and the route was given to George E Kirk & WH Gleason at the same pay. They immediately sublet the route to MT Patrick & AH Brown at full pay beginning April 1, 1879. On June 6, 1879, Kirk & Gleason were declared “failing” contractors, and the route was turned over to Patrick & Brown. These two men thoroughly understood the governmental contract operations, and set plans in motion to get more money. They obviously had a lot of clout and knowledge of the inner workings of the bureau. Five days after getting the contract, on June 11th they issued the following orders :
Service Increased – From July 1, 1879, increase
the number of trips to seven per week and add $14,009.65 to contractor’s pay.
Schedule Expedited – From the same date reduce
the running time from 180 hours to 75 hours, and add $64,251.21 to the
contractor’s pay.
Still wanting more money, they requested that the route to Etchetah be re-established and that they be given pro-rata pay for the additional 40 miles. On April 8, 1880 the route was restored and $10,727.66 added to compensate them. The route cost was not at $100,165.83 per year. Postmaster General James was just assigned and he immediately started to examine the large mail contracts for fraud. This one stood out with glaring lights. Before this particular segment was established, the line had a branch from Rock Creek to Fort Fetterman (80 miles.) This was listed as a “temporary” route segment, and was assigned to ex-governor John M Thayer (Montana) at $3, 600 per year for a three-times a week operation. Thayer’s term of service expired when the Rock Creek to Etchetah service was instituted. Wyoming Representative Delegate Downey issued a long-winded oratory of the need for mail service. This need was endorsed by Montana’s Delegate Martin Maginnis, adding: “I most earnestly urge upon the department the measures for a prompt and efficient service.” Many others jumped in and endorsed the need, and as a result the $11,777 initial contract was increased to $88,768 per annum, the amount called for by Patrick & Brown! The department issued the following notice:
Washington
DC, May 31, 1879
To perform the service on mail route No.
37,110, from Rock Creek, Wyoming to Fort Custer, Montana 331 miles and back,
seven times a week on present schedule, 180 hours each way requires 155 men,
and 43 horses: to perform the same service on a schedule of 75 hours each way
will require 45 men and 162 horses.
MT
Patrick, Sub-Contractor.
District of Columbia, ss
Subscribed and sworn to before me this 31st day of May,
AD 1879
George
F Graham, Notary Public.
A few months later the route to Etchetah was restored. Had Postmaster General James not got involved, the government would have spent over $300,000 in contract fees. James sent a trusted employee to examine the route and report back what he found.
The Rock Creek to Etchetah
Route
There are 26 stations along the route, varying in distance from nine to 23 miles. The firm employs 14 men and 112 animals, not including 20 herd ponies used to deliver feed. The terminal divisions (Fort Custer and Rock Creek were staffed with a stage coach capable of carrying five passengers and had boots in front and rear for carrying mail. However, the intermediate segments used small wagons with canvas tops or old-fashioned buckboards. Typical mail deliveries are:
Rock Creek to Fort Fetterman 125#/day
Fetterman to Fort McKinney not more than 100#
McKinney to Fort Custer did not exceed 60#
Fort Custer to Junction (where the trails meet) not more than 20#
Junction to Etchetah (End of line 8-miles distant) Under one ounce.
The Postmaster at Etchetah had written in his record book (as was told to do so) that daily he received a on-way pouch and a through pouch; and resent same. After questioning, the agent verified that he never received more than a one-way pouch, and that one was from Fort Custer. The postal assistant described the manner in which the mail was distributed:
Mail delivery started with the Union Pacific’s southern terminus; On board the train they would make up the pouches to go to Fort McKinney, with the remainder being delivered to the Rock Creek Station. The station made up one little pouch for a place 42 miles up line, and created another for Fort Custer. This pouch contains all mail at Fort Custer and all points north. The stages then carried the three pouches. At Fort Custer, the Two remaining pouches were opened, the one-way and the through. The through pouch was retained, and the way pouch sent on to Junction, along with other mail picked up along the way. Junction mail delivery is on the Bozeman-Fort Keogh Line. Mail is taken out of the way pouch and sorted for delivery on that line. Mail directed to Etchetah remains in the pouch, and it is given back to the route carrier for the Rock Creek line, and he delivers it to that PO. It was noted that there is now a duplicate run being made over the eight miles to Etchetah. Furthermore, Junction is not a recognized stop for pickup or delivery of pouches between the two mail lines. The Junction PO agent had tried several times to expose the fraud, but no one in Washington will listen.
The Mail service on the Rock Creek line is made to appear it is in top-running shape. They maintain a manifest for each stop that shows a proper and timely arrival, and a verification of mail delivery & pickup. However, they have the outgoing carriages depart before incoming carriages arrive, thus making all mail deliveries at least a day or so late from their intended schedule.
The PO Agent at Rock Creek was Herbert Thayer, son of Wyoming ex-governor Thayer. The station and its inhabitants are all Thayer relatives. The PO is located in the rear of their store, and the stage line operates from the front. This appears to be a “twins of interest” grouping. Andrew Foote is the PO Agent and stage agent at Fort Fetterman. Until recently the PO operated out of the stage line barn. PO agent Robertson at Buffalo is a “square” man, and stated three trips per week were okay. EM Snyder until recently was agent at Fort McKinney, but Thomas Creighton (agent at Big Horn) maintains the PO there. He also keeps the stock, and cleans the barn. BF Smith, postmaster at Bingham is also stock tender. Thomas Borup is postmaster at Fort Custer, and also is the post trader, and partner to a member of the stage line. The business partner of the Junction postmaster is an agent of the stage line. JC Guy, postmaster keeps the Etchetah station, and feeds and boards passengers there.
Lt Col Anderson, in command at Fort McKinney, stated that three trips per week were needed.
General Davidson, commander at Fort Custer had seven companies of troups from the 2nd Cavalry stationed there, and recommended three trips per week.
Major WH Powell, commander at Fort Fetterman, requested three trips per week.
From this summary, the special investigator concluded (after extensive interviews with the people receiving mail) that the service should be cut to three times a week, dispense with eth Etchetah eight-mile segment to eliminate duplicate service, and increase the running time to 180 hours (from 82-3/4 hours). He also pointed out that there was temporary route line extending from Fort Fetterman to Caspar (60 miles.) AH Brown was given this route soon after they secured the $88,000 additional pay for the long route. This small route carried mail twice a week, for $2,400 annual pay. The route agent stated this service should to be once per week, as about 30 pieces of mail (total both ways) are distributed weekly.
Acting upon the findings, Postmaster General James reduced the Patrick & Brown contract from $100,165 per annum to $11,513 effective June 1, 1881. Brown’s apy on the Caspar route was reduced to $1,200.Patrick stated at a following congressional hearing that the route segment that seemed to belong to the Thayers was actually his.
Comment:
Prior to James assuming the post of Postmaster General, Hon. Thomas J. Brady held the post, and through him were established star routes. These were lucrative contracts given to special interests. Many were apparently created that never carried any mail.[2] According to the Office of Post Office Inspectors (Omaha, Neb, May 16, 1881) came this interesting article involving Montana:
Route # 36,156 was created to transport mail between White Sulphur Springs (slightly ease of Helena) and Fort Custer seven times a week. This route crossed the Bozeman-Fort Keogh route at Junction, and went directly to Fort Custer. It was apparent to the reporter that Delegate Maginnis created this fraudulent route in 1880. The inspector opened the pouch and found it contained one letter, addressed to a member of the stage line firm that transported the letter. The postal agent at Fort Custer (Wintermute) refused to accept the letter, and returned in a sealed pouch. This pouch bounced back and forth several times; and the stage line decreased the service to once a week. Delegate Maginnis reported to the Postmaster General (his friend) that he and the entire Democratic Party would lose the Muscle-Shell County unless the route was restored to a daily. Brady apologized and restored the line to a daily, blaming his agent as taking unauthorized action.