Wichita Stamp Club Newsletter

Transcription

1 Wichita Stamp Club Newsletter Vol. 78, No. 11, November 2010 Neal E. Danielson Editor Go Fly A Stamp Click on any of the links below to go directly to the article Don t Sweat the Small Stuff A small cover posted to Camp Lee, Virginia during the World War I era Travel Kansas Take a trip postal history trip to Wallace County, Kansas Modern Woodmen of America Two interesting post cards with the M. W. of A. as a theme Iceberg Mail Information about the International Polar Year (IPY) with philatelic commemorations from the Scandinavian countries and Canada Go to WSC Home Page

2 DON T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF by Neal E. Danielson This is the 20 th in a series of articles relating to small post cards and small covers so if you have any in your collection that you would like to share please let us know. Figure 1 Small Cover Postmarked Oct from Washington, PA The era is during World War I in Washington, a city in Washington County, Pennsylvania, the County Seat. The city s heritage goes back to 1757 when a Delaware Indian Chief by the name of Tongooqua, commonly known as Catfish, had his encampment on a branch of the Chartiers Creek (now a part of the city of Washington). The area of Washington was settled by many immigrants from Scotland and the north of Ireland, as well as settlers from the eastern and central parts of the Virginia Colony, the first being around Washington was the center for the Whiskey Rebellion of 1791, which was one of the first open rebellions against the new U. S. government and Constitution. The rebellion was a result of tax imposed on whiskey distillation in the region. In 1903 the Washington and Canonsburg Railway Company linked the two towns with a trolley line. The Railway Company would become part of the Pittsburgh Railway Company by 1909 linking with Pittsburgh as part of an interurban service. Washington County was the first county in the U. S. to be named in honor of President George Washington. In Figure 1 is a small cover measuring 4 5/8 inches by 2 ¾ inches postmarked from Washington, PA on Oct The cover is franked with a 3 George Washington stamp (Scott #501) and tied to the cover with a 13 star Flag cancel. The cover was sent to a soldier stationed at Camp Lee Virginia, located in Prince George County. Apparently Private Schaaf was a patient in the Infirmary. The date of October 1918 places the cover at close to the end of World War I. Just 18 days after the start of the war with Germany Camp Lee was selected as a state mobilization camp; it would later become a division training camp. In June 1917, building began and within sixty days some 14,000 troops were in the Camp. When construction on the Camp was completed there were accommodations for 60,335 troops. On July 15, 1917, the War Department announced that the camp would be named in honor of General Robert E. Lee, the most famous of the Confederate Civil War commanders. Figure 2 is a post card of Camp Lee, VA taken in Wichita Stamp Club Newsletter Vol. 78, No. 11 November 2010

3 Figure 2 Camp Lee, Virginia postcard ca 1918 After World War I, Camp Lee was taken over by the Commonwealth of Virginia and designated a game preserve. A portion of the land became the National Military Park of Petersburg. According to the Census of 1920 Camp Lee showed many soldiers still stationed in the facility. When World War II ended, the fate of Camp Lee was in question, but the War Department designated the facility as a retraining center for Quartermasters. Official recognition of its permanent status was obtained in 1950 and the post was redesignated as Fort Lee. Private Schaaf was a resident of Morgan, Illinois when he enlisted. Born 26 July 1887 to George and Viella Schaaf, he would have been 29 years old when he received the letter from Pennsylvania. He apparently survived his stay in the Infirmary as he lived to be 84 when he passed away on 12 Feb and is buried in the Franklin City Cemetery, Morgan County, Illinois. References: Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia website: Camp Lee, Virginia; Washington, Pennsylvania; and World War I Return to November Contents Go to WSC Home Page Wichita Stamp Club Newsletter Vol. 78, No. 11 November

4 TRAVEL KANSAS EAST TO WEST NORTH TO SOUTH by Neal E. Danielson Chance, Wallace County, Kansas was located in the far western part of the State near the Colorado border (Figures 1 & 2). When the railroad made its way across Kansas a large number of post offices and towns moved to the tracks; others just simply died where they were. Some just remained names of stations. The arrival of Rural Free Delivery, that great boon to the farmers, had a direct bearing on survival of small settlements. In western Kansas, only a few names remain on the map, some due to the automobile which made the country store and post office obsolete. Wallace and Greeley Counties have no towns left that were not located along the railroad line or major highways. Wallace County has the one major railroad line that crosses the country from east to west and U.S. 40 Highway, while State Highway 27 runs north and south, both going through Sharon Springs the County Seat. This story is more about Fort Wallace than about Chance in Wallace County, as the town did not exist long enough to have much of a history. Figure 1 Wallace Co. Railroad Map ca1899 When the Civil War ended an encampment of military personnel set up Camp Pond Creek in 1865 for protection of settlers traveling west and for the Butterfield Overland Dispatch (BOD) traveling the Smoky Hill Trail. When the Camp moved east along the Smoky Hill River in 1866 a fort was constructed on orders from Figure 3 General William Sherman. The Fort was named to honor Wallace County, Kansas General William Harvey Lamb Wallace, who fought the Confederates at the Hornets Nest near Shiloh. Wallace died in 1862 from wounds received at Shiloh. He should not be confused with General Lew Wallace, also of Shiloh, who outlived the war and who won fame from his historical novels, especially Ben-Hur. One would assume that the town of Wallace in Wallace County was named for the same Wallace. But the local press declares that the town of Wallace was named for a railroad superintendent by the name of George Wallace, who died in the neighboring town of Sheridan in The 7 th Cavalry was a force to be reckoned with in the American West. Stationed out of Fort Wallace, these men engaged in numerous battles with nearby Indian tribes. Soldiers stationed at Fort Wallace had their hands full trying to protect settlers moving through Indian tribal land on their way west. The land provided great Buffalo hunting for the Indians and they we not easily persuaded to allow the white man access to their hunting grounds. As the Buffalo scattered out across the prairies of western Kansas and eastern Colorado the Indians did not look favorably on what was happening. General George Armstrong Custer was stationed at Fort Wallace where he encountered his first battle with the Indians a short distance from the Fort. General Custer was not the only notable individual to spend time at Fort Wallace, which included George Forsyth, Buffalo Bill Cody, and Wild Bill Hickock. For the most part Fort Wallace was not the most comfortable outpost as food was a major problem. Located in the far western part of the state a long distance from any major city, food would spoil before it arrived at the Fort 4 Wichita Stamp Club Newsletter Vol. 78, No. 11 November 2010

5 Figure 3 Fort Wallace as it stood in 1867 The Fort was officially decommissioned on May 31, 1882, but a few troops stayed behind to prevent the settlers from using the Fort. The land in western Kansas had very few trees in order to provide lumber for the settlers to build a home, as the military utilized most of what was available and then used native stone for the majority of the buildings. However, by 1886 the settlers gradually confiscated the vital building materials and in some cases entire buildings. In 1888 the government released the Fort to settlers, but by then most of it was already gone. Shown below is a Jerry Thomas painting depicting Captain Albert Barnitz who led the famed 7 th Calvary to their first fight with the Indians (Figure4). Indian skirmishes happened almost daily and sometimes more frequently. Figure 4 Painting of General Barnitz and the 7 th Cavalry Wichita Stamp Club Newsletter Vol. 78, No. 11 November

6 Figure 5 Post Card postmarked Chance, Kans. Mar The Post Office in Chance, Kansas was established April 29, 1904 and closed November 15, Figure 5 is a Post Card franked with a 1 Benjamin Franklin stamp (Scott #331a) and tied to the cover with a four-bar circular date stamp postmarked from Chance, Kans. Mar and sent to Asherville, Kansas located in Mitchell County. Chance was one of those towns caught without the railroad located in the middle of no where, as the saying goes. References: Blue Skyways website: Fort Wallace website: Rydjord, John, Kansas Place-Names, University of Oklahoma, Norman 1972 Return to November Contents Go to WSC Home Page 6 Wichita Stamp Club Newsletter Vol. 78, No. 11 November 2010

7 M. W. OF A., ROCK ISLAND, ILL. by Neal E. Danielson I came across two post cards at the Wichita Coin and Stamp Show held August 21-22, 2010 in Wichita at the Cessna Activity Center. In viewing the post cards both were postmarked from Rock Island, IL and sent to an individual in Derby, KS. Both cards were from C. W. Howes, Head Clerk, M. W. of A, but no where on the cards did it tell me what the initials represented. Post card one (Figure 1 & 2) shows the Head Offices of M. W. of A., located in Rock Island, Ill. Figure 1 Post Card depicting the Head Offices, M. W. of A., Rock Island, Ill. Figure 2 Post Card showing data on Form 449 ½ Wichita Stamp Club Newsletter Vol. 78, No. 11 November

8 The post card is franked with a 1 Benjamin Franklin stamp (Scott #300) and tied to the cover with a 13 star, 7 wavy line cancel and postmarked from Rock Island, Ill. on Jun (Figure 2). The post card was designed to be a receipt form that could be mailed to the recipient. The form is dated Jun showing the receipt of $77.05 for Benefit Ass m t No. 233 with a pre-printed signature of C. W. Hawes, Head Clerk, M. W. of A. The card was sent to a Mr. E. Braden, Clerk of Camp No. 1753, M. W. of A. Derby, Kansas. Figure 3 Post Card showing the Private Office of C. W. Hawes Head Clerk M. W. of A. Post card two (Figure 3 & 4) shows the Private Office of C. W. Hawes, Head Clerk at M. W. of A., Bldg. Rock Island, Ill. Hawes is shown in the upper left on the post card and the seal above the window shows a shield with 5-stars and a crossed ax and sledge hammer with the Latin pur autre vie on a ribbon below the shield. The post card is franked with a 1 Benjamin Franklin perfin stamp (Scott #331) and tied to the cover with a 7 bar cancel and postmarked from Rock Island, Ill. on May 25, 1910 (Figure 4) (which happens to be my date of birth, but not the year of my birth.) The post card was designed similar to the one in Figure 2 to be a receipt form that could be mailed to the recipient. The form is dated May 23, 1910 showing the receipt of $82.75 for Benefit Ass m t No. 251 with a hand cancel signature of C. W. Hawes, Head Clerk, M. W. of A. The card was sent to a Mr. E. Braden, Clerk of Camp No. 1753, M. W. of A. Derby, Kansas. The perfin stamp has the initials M W A as shown in Figure 5 cropped from the card, turned upright and enlarged. 8 Wichita Stamp Club Newsletter Vol. 78, No. 11 November 2010

9 Figure 4 Post card showing data on Form [The Latin pur autre vie which means for the life of another. An Estate one person grants to another, only for the duration of the life of a third person. Life Estate is a concept used in common law and statutory law to designate the ownership of land for the duration of a person s life. In legal terms it is an estate in real property that ends at death. The owner of a life estate is called a life tenant.] The M. W. of A. was founded by Joseph Cullen Root in Lyons, Iowa January 5, 1883 and moved its head office to Fulton, Illinois in In 1893 the Hutchison, Kansas camp organized the first drill team. Drill teams became nationally known for entertaining crowds at parades and other events. These groups came to be known as Foresters. Members of M. W. of A. raised $6,655 for drought-stricken members in Figure 5 Kansas and Nebraska in In 1887 the Head Office moved to Rock Perfin Stamp enlarged Island, Illinois and is located there today. During the tuberculosis (TB) epidemic of the early 1900s, M. W. of A. established a Colorado Tuberculosis Sanatorium in 1907 at a cost of $1.5-million and was named one of the most outstanding institutions for the treatment by the American College of Surgeons. Treatment was free to male members of the organization and some 12,000 patients were treated during its 38 year history. M.W. of A. and its subsidiaries provide life insurance plus annuity, investment and banking products to the family market. Fraternal expenditures for member benefits and community programs reach into the millions of dollars. These programs include disaster relief, college scholarships, tree planting, volunteer programs, and educational programs. Charles W. Hawes joined M. W. of A. camp in 1885, two years after it was organized and he was elected Head Clerk in Major Howes was a man of remarkable abilities. Born in 1841, the son of pioneer Wichita Stamp Club Newsletter Vol. 78, No. 11 November

10 Rock Island settlers, he earned his title during the Civil War as a member of the 92 nd U. S. Cavalry. After the war, he served as Chief of Police in Rock Island and later as Postmaster. Figure 6 Bungalow of Charles W. Hawes, Head Clerk of M. W. of A. Charles W. Hawes and his wife Mary established their first family home at st Street, and then moved to th Street and by 1912 they built a new home at th Avenue. The home still graces the town of Rock Island, Illinois (Figure 6). The young man on the steps with the dog is their son John, while Major Hawes and his wife are seated on the porch. Hawes died in 1916, and his wife remained in the home until her death in 1940s. Now the rest of the story J. C. Root founded Modern Woodmen of America (M.W. of A). He operated a number of businesses, including a mercantile establishment, a grain elevator, and two flour mills. He sold insurance and real estate, taught bookkeeping classes, managed a lecture bureau, and practiced law. Root was a member of several fraternal societies through the years. He wanted to create an organization that would protect families following the death of a breadwinner. During a Sunday sermon in Lyons, Iowa, the pastor tells a parable about the good that came from woodmen clearing away the forest to build homes, communities, and security for their families. He adopted the term Woodmen and to complete the name, Modern reflected the need to stay current and change with the times. Of America was added to symbolize patriotism. At first only white men between the ages of 18 and 45 were allowed to join, but this changed over time as many other societies and associations changed to allow for multiple cultures. References: Postcards from Home website: C. W. Hawes Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia website: Modern Woodmen of America Return to November Contents Go to WSC Home Page 10 Wichita Stamp Club Newsletter Vol. 78, No. 11 November 2010

11 by Neal E. Danielson Don t tell me, that I have to drag this mail pouch all the way from the South Pole to the North Pole? Where are you Rudolph? It took me over a month to travel through all that warm weather to arrive in the Arctic. I had a lot of company on my journey from Canada, Denmark, Finland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden and the United States, all involved in the International Polar Year (IPY) The IPY was an internationally coordinated initiative to advance the knowledge of the Polar Regions by focusing international research during a period of two years and beyond. Since the International Polar Year there have been several international science initiatives in the Polar Regions as they are remote areas of the earth that have a great impact on the earth s climate and, ultimately, environment, ecosystems and human society. The reality of the whole thing is that we still remain ignorant of many aspects of how the polar climate interacts with all these areas. The first IPY was a collaborative, international effort researching the Polar Regions. Karl Weyprecht, an Austro-Hungarian Naval officer, motivated the endeavor, but died before it first occurred. Fifty years later the second IPY occurred in This inspired the International Geophysical Year 75 years later in involving 80,000 scientists from 67 countries that produced unprecedented exploration and discoveries in many fields of research and fundamentally changed how science was conducted in the Polar Regions. Since then the development of new technology: such as satellites that orbit the earth; autonomous vehicles; and molecular biology techniques offer enormous opportunities for a further quantum leap upwards in understanding of our polar systems. Polar Region North Pole The IPY vision was (quote): o To determine the present environmental status of the polar regions by quantifying their spatial and temporal variability. o To quantify, and understand, past and present environmental and human change in the Polar Regions in order to improve predictions. o To advance our understanding of polar-global interactions by studying teleconnections on all scales. o To investigate the unknowns at the frontiers of science in the Polar Regions. o To use the unique vantage point of the Polar Regions to develop and enhance observations studying the earth s inner core, the earth s magnetic field, geospace, the sun and beyond. o To investigate the cultural, historical and social processes that shapes the resilience and sustainability of circumpolar human societies, and to identify their unique contributions to global cultural diversity and citizenship. Wichita Stamp Club Newsletter Vol. 78, No. 11 November

12 The IPY ( ) is a wide-ranging effort by the international program of polar research, which is carried out in accordance with the decisions of the International Council for Science and of the International Meteorological Organization. The North Pole, the floating polar stations, the researches of the ice surfaces, the cultural and the natural heritage of the Artic are depicted on stamps. Canada s International Polar Year Projects for the first time includes a human dimension. It concentrated on a range of endeavors that focus on the impacts of climate change and the health and wellbeing of northern communities. The projects involved a wide range including atmosphere to outreach and educational programs. Canada Arctic region is covered by approximately 150,000 square kilometers (57,660 square miles) of land ice, and the country s Arctic ice is potentially one of the more significant and immediate sources of worldwide changes in sea levels. These studies resulted in what Arctic glaciers and ice caps contribute to rising sea levels. This latest IPY brought about the most ambitious Arctic climate change research project ever undertaken in Canada, a $150-million (CAD) research program called the Circumpolar Flaw Lead (CFL) System Study. Led by University of Manitoba Professor David Barber, a Canada Research Chair, the project involved more than 300 scientists from 16 countries, including over 40 faculty members, research associates, graduate students, technicians and support staff from the University of Manitoba. Based aboard the research icebreaker, CCGS Amundsen, the CFL project examined the flaw lead system, as circumpolar phenomenon created when the central Arctic ice pack moves away from coastal ice, leaving areas of open water. Scientists are working closely with northern residents to understand how global climate change affects the nature of the flaw lead. The project involved over-wintering the Amundsen in the Banks Island flaw lead in the Southern Beaufort Sea, the first time this has ever been done. To celebrate the IPY several countries issued commemorative stamps in souvenir sheets. Post Canada s stamps (shown below) feature a king eider and a jellyfish of the genus Crossota. Discovered only recently, the jellyfish inhabits the deepest part of the Arctic Ocean. King eiders are strikingly beautiful birds that nest throughout the Canadian Arctic Islands. 12 Wichita Stamp Club Newsletter Vol. 78, No. 11 November 2010

13 Denmark s involvement in IPY was the research on Greenland s past cultures. Among the researchers goals were to learn about the strategies the arctic population used to adapt to the arctic environment and to the foreign culture. Denmark s interest was also focused on the Arctic Ocean due to the extent of the sea ice that has diminished over the past 30 years. There is a close interplay between the sea ice and the climate, which means that we can learn about the climate by studying the ice. The studies were conducted in a project called DAMOCLES an acronym for Developing Arctic Modeling and Observing Capabilities for Long-term Environmental Studies. Aircraft-based laser measurements of the ice were undertaken to establish the precise degree of thickness and its consequences for the climate. The Denmark souvenir sheet shows three carvings of the Thule culture, the Norse culture and the late Dorset culture, respectively. The lower stamp shows how measurements can be made from aircraft of the thickness, extent, concentration and movement of ice in the Arctic Ocean (left). Finland s involvement in IPY dates back to the first in resulting in the founding of the Sodankylä Observatory (now FMI-ARC, Arctic Research Centre of the Finnish Meteorological Institute). Finland continues its long traditions in the realm of Arctic research. Situated in the far North, Finland has a special need for research on the global change, climate change and on matters relating to sustainable development. Several Finnish universities and research institutions participate in the research projects of the IPY. The various institutions of the University of Helsinki study climate change, glaciers and sea ice, among other subjects. Climate change is monitored at the Värriö, Pallas and Kaamanen field observation stations. The Finland souvenir sheet (below) presents a close-up image of a snowflake hologram is the eye catcher of the sheet. The beautiful, translucent crystal emerges as a symbol of the Arctic theme. The holographic square is detachable: the user may affix it to either of the stamps or even use it as a separate item. Wichita Stamp Club Newsletter Vol. 78, No. 11 November

14 The Danish colonization in the 18 th century resulted in the foundation of colonies along the west coast of Greenland. Greenlandic urban life developed around the trading and mission stations in the small colonies. One of the big Danish-led projects was to drill a deep ice core into Greenland s inland ice, in the far north. The project was called NEEM (North EEMian project) and its aim was to drill an ice core that contains fully preserved ice from the entire Eemian Period (115, ,000 years before 2007) and the previous glacial period, where the ice is older than 130,000 years. The drilling was conducted using an ice drill developed in Denmark, with the drilling team composed of international scientists. Post Greenland souvenir sheet presents two IPY stamps and projects: 1. From 1996 till 2003 NGRIP (North Greenland Ice Project) conducted deep-drilling in Greenland s ice sheet and ice core research was made, revealing over 123,000-year-old climate data. 2. Urbanizations in Greenland show the population s urban environment to today and human migration and creativity through time (below). 14 Wichita Stamp Club Newsletter Vol. 78, No. 11 November 2010

15 About 11% of Iceland is covered with glaciers ranging from 200 to 400 meters thick; some may even be 900 meters thick. Rivers are formed from glaciers in most instances and carry large volumes of sediment. The shifting of the rivers course affects coastal processes and the near-shore marine environment. A landscape that lies hidden beneath the glacier ice has been mapped by radio-echo soundings, which revealed mountains and valleys below sea level as well as high mountains areas. The study of the volcanoes and sub glacial lakes and various river paths has led to greater knowledge in: glaciology (the scientific study of glaciers and their effects on the landscape); geomorphology (geography which deals with the form of the earth, the general configuration of its surface,, the distribution of land and waster and the changes that take place in the evolution of land forms); volcanology (the science treating of volcanic phenomena); hydrology (the science treatment of water, its properties, phenomena, and distribution, esp. with reference to water on the surface of the land, in the soil, and underlying rocks, and in the atmosphere); knowledge of direct application to hydropower utilization, road design and civil defense. Iceland Post issued a souvenir sheet that depicts a volcanic eruption in the Vatnajökull glacier and the Radio-Echo Sounds equipment used to map the landscape beneath the ice-cap. The photograph of the eruption was taken in The drawing shows landscape hidden by a glacier (above). This areas volcanic eruption created major problems for Europe earlier this year. Wichita Stamp Club Newsletter Vol. 78, No. 11 November

16 Did you know that the Arctic Tern is considered the world champion when it comes to long distance migration? The Arctic Tern uses the Arctic region as its breeding grounds during the months that light (sunshine) happens. An Arctic Tern is shown nesting in the photo at left. Then off it goes all the way to the Antarctic, some 35,000 kilometers or 21,747 miles and 1,745.4 yards. And we think the 26 mile marathon is a long distance. Shown at right is an Arctic Tern in flight. Maybe our mail pouch penguin should of called upon the Arctic Tern for help. Norway, Sweden and the United States were involved with the International Polar Year and their story will appear in Iceberg Mail Part V. I selected the six Scandinavian Countries, plus Canada and the U.S. as part of Iceberg Mail Part IV and Part V due to my own Scandinavian ancestry, that being my grandparents from Denmark. Other countries will be presented in additional articles. References: U. S. International Polar Year IPY International Polar Year. Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia website: International Polar Year U. S. Postal Service: International Polar Year Arctic Return to November Contents Go to WSC Home Page 16 Wichita Stamp Club Newsletter Vol. 78, No. 11 November 2010