Inland Waterway Mail Before the Civil War: Louisiana Bayous and Tributary Rivers

Transcription

1 Inland Waterway Mail Before the Civil War: Louisiana Bayous and Tributary Rivers

2 THE GULF OF MEXICO and OTHER SOUTHERN WATERS Louisiana Bayous and Tributary Rivers Volume 6

3 Grand Bayou Steamboat Caddo No.2 Steamboats on Louisiana Bayous and Tributary Rivers Louisiana has a system of secondary watercourses known as bayous. These consist of creeks, marshes and streams, all of which are tributaries of primary bodies of water. Bayous often are shallow and sluggish, but they are navigable using shallow draft vessels. Bayous depend on the draining of marshes and rivers for their water. Shreveport Grand Bayou St. Maurice Cotile Alexandria Norman s Landing Barbin s Landing New Orleans 03 $450 The Steamboat Caddo No.2 operated between Shreveport (on the ) and New Orleans. It operated under mail contract No Because it did not carry a route agent aboard, this loose letter was marked WAY [5 postage + 1 WAY fee paid to the steamboat captain] when the captain turned it in to the New Orleans Post Office.

4 Grand Bayou Steamboat Granada Port Listone Landing Grand Bayou St. Maurice Cotile Alexandria Norman s Landing Barbin s Landing New Orleans Dateline: Port Listone February 8, $50

5 Grand Bayou Steamboat R.E. Clark Origin [unknown] Grand Bayou St. Maurice Cotile Alexandria Norman s Landing Barbin s Landing New Orleans 5T $75 Steamboat Water Witch Natchitoches Grand Bayou St. Maurice Cotile Alexandria Norman s Landing Barbin s Landing New Orleans. 5B $85

6 Grand Bayou Steamboat Piota Origin [unknown] Grand Bayou St. Maurice Cotile Alexandria Norman s Landing Barbin s Landing New Orleans The steamboat Piota plied the and its tributary bayous and rivers from 1852 until 1858 when the vessel exploded and burned to the waterline. 06 $350

7 Bayou Pierre Grand Bayou Black River Steamboat Rockaway No.2 Dateline: Shreveport May 17, 1852 Shreveport Bayou Pierre Grand Bayou St. Maurice Cotile Alexandria Norman s Landing Barbin s Landing New Orleans 7T $125 Dateline: Redland, LA April 24, 1851 Redland Grand Bayou St. Maurice Cotile Alexandria Norman s Landing Barbin s Landing New Orleans 7B $150

8 Bayou Pierre Black River Steamboat Red Chief Shreveport Bayou Pierre Black River New Orleans Dateline: Bartholomew Sept. 15, T #25(def.) $75 Dateline: Unknown [CDS: New Orleans August 25, 1858] The steamboat Red Chief plied the waters between Shreveport and New Orleans. 8B $50

9 Bayou Pierre Black River Natchitoches River New Orleans Black Bayou Pierre Natchitoches River Mitchell s Landing 09 $100 New Orleans. July 9, This letter was marked Valuable under a pre-registration system used among southern post offices. The letter enclosed a bank note.

10 Bayou Pierre Steamboat Carolina Dateline: New Orleans 12 March 1846 New Orleans Bayou Pierre Coushatta Chute 10 $50 Bill of Lading It is not possible to know if this was carried privately out of the mails or if the cover entered the mails but was not charged postage because it was a bill of lading carried by the vessel carrying the described cargo.

11 Bayou Lafourche Steamboat Sydonia The Sydonia traveled the Bayou Lafourche its whole life span. Admonition: Origin [unknown] Bayou Lafourche New Orleans Sydonia leaves Saturday 23d inst. at 5 O clock P.M. 11 $275 The Sydonia was a contract steamboat at this time, but it did not have a route agent aboard. When the steamboat s captain turned in this loose letter to the New Orleans Post Office, the postal clerk marked it WAY and paid 1 to the vessel s captain.

12 Bayou Lafourche Steamboat Mary Foley F.A. Dentzel AGT PO NO F.A. Dentzel, listed as a postal clerk in the 1851 New Orleans City Directory, performed dockside services to enable the expedited handling of mail entering the port. The steamboat Mary Foley first saw service in the late 1840s when it plied the river between New Orleans and Bayou Sara. 12 $525 The steamboat was sold in November 1850 and was berthed at Lockport in Bayou Lafourche. The vessel traveled between Lockport and New Orleans in high water season and between Donaldsonville and New Orleans during low water season. The steamboat was retired in 1857.

13 Bayou Lafourche Steamboat Dr. Batey Steamboat St. James If the place of the letter s origin was close by the, the steamboat traveled north to the River. But if the place of origin was not close to the River, the steamboat headed south to the Gulf of Mexico. 13T $175 13B $150

14 Bayou Goula Bayou Lafourche Dateline: New Orleans October 24, 1843 New Orleans Bayou Lafourche Port Hudson, LA 14T $50 Steamboat Brilliant. Privately carried out-of-th s. Dateline: Donaldsonville 3 Nov Donaldsonville [heading north] Bayou Goula New Orleans

15 Bayou Dorcheat Bayou Loggy Lake Bistineau Black River Steamboat Fashion Minden, LA Bayou Dorcheat Lake Bistineau Bayou Loggy Black River New Orleans Dateline: Minden June 10, $75 Beginning in January 1852, the steamboat Fashion moved to the Alabama River.

16 Bayou Dorcheat Bayou Loggy Lake Bistineau Black River Steamboat The Steamboat had a contract to carry the mail, but no route agent aboard. The postal clerk marked both letter WAY when the vessel s captain turned in the loose letters to the New Orleans Post Office. Minden, LA Bayou Dorcheat Lake Bistineau Bayou Loggy Black River New Orleans 16T $100 16B $75

17 Bayou Dorcheat Black Bayou 17T $225 The Steamboat Gipsy plied the Black Bayou and the Bayou Dorcheat to the. 17B $225 The Steamboat Laytona plied the and Bayou Dorcheat between Shreveport and various landings.

18 Bayou Teche Steamboat Rio Grande There is no river called the Attakapas River. There was, however, a Parrish called Attakapas Parish, now renamed Saint Martin s Parrish. The Steamboat Rio Grande plied Bayou Teche between Saint Martinsville and New Orleans in the 1850s. F.A. Dentzel was an employee of the New Orleans Post Office. He met steamboats at the wharf and collected certain types of mail from them. He also certified the validity of letters marked bill of lading. 18 $350 This folded letter is undated, but the Type 2 F.A. Dentzel marking has been recorded used from late November1849 through early September This folded letter is one of two reported examples of the Steamboat Rio Grande packet marking.

19 Bayou Teche Bayou Teche Steamboat Rio Grande Bill of Lading. No postage required. The Steamboat Rio Grande plied Bayou Teche between Saint Martinsville and New Orleans in the 1850s. New Orleans Bayou Teche Barre s Landing. 19 $50 December 11, 1849

20 Bayou Teche To ACADIA Routes: New Orleans Bayou Teche Saint Martinsville/ACADIA There was no post office, town or village in Louisiana called Acadia. This, however, was the name of the region which originally encompassed Attakapas region which came to be called Attakapas Parrish and, later, St. Martin Parrish. 20T $50 April 12, Schooner Cultivator 20B $50 July 26, Steamboat Lannier

21 Bayou Teche Bayou de Glaize Steamboat St. Helena Dateline: New Orleans January 22, 1848 New Orleans Bayou Teche Bayou de Glaize 21T $50 Postage not required because this was a bill of lading. Dateline: August 5, 1848 New Orleans Bayou Teche New Hope 21B $50

22 Ouachita River Black River Steamboat Osceola Trinity, LA Ouachita River Black River New Orleans 22T $225 Trinity, LA. October 28, B $125 June 24, 1850

23 Ouachita River Black River Steamboat Fawn Dateline: Marion, LA June 26, 1851 Marion, LA Ouachita River Black River New Orleans 23 $100