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Alaska Dogsled Postcard Mailed During the Height of the Alaska Gold Rush, with Steamer Markings and

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Mining Start Price:125.00 USD Estimated At:250.00 - 500.00 USD
Alaska Dogsled Postcard Mailed During the Height of the Alaska Gold Rush, with Steamer Markings and
SOLD
125.00USD+ (31.25) buyer's premium + applicable fees & taxes.
This item SOLD at 2018 Mar 16 @ 13:46UTC-7 : PDT/MST
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This 1905 postcard has obverse of a dogsled team. It was sent from Udakta which was in Dutch Harbor in the city of Unalaska in the Aleutian Islands. Richard Helbock gave this cancel a rarity factor of "6" as the post office was open only from 1899 to 1909. Adding to the interest is the steamer straight line "HELD ON S. S. OHIO" in purple. An official mail route stopped at Dutch Harbor from May 15 to September 14 - during the summer months. After that the postmaster would probably send the mail via a passing ship. Other "HELD ON S. S. OHIO" markings are known and so we know this was one of those ships used to unofficially transport the mail. The AMAZING thing about this cover is that it took two months to travel from the Aleutian Islands to Portland, Oregon. Those Alaskan winters were indeed rough sailing! On the day this postcard was mailed there was an article in the Reno Evening Gazette that ties the Nevada Goldfield rush to the Alaska gold rush. It seems that negotiations were underway to ship ore by steamer to Alaskan mills as all mills and smelters on the west coast were overtaxed with Nevada ores! Comes with a copy of the newspaper article, copied photos, history of Udakta, etc.

Date: 1905 Location: Udakta, Alaska HWAC# 57065