::: Mail Via San Francisco and Panama :::

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Plans began in 1845 to create a steamship route connecting the Eastern United States to Astoria in the Oregon Territory. The plan called for steamers to run between New York and Chagres, on the Caribbean Coast of Panama. There passengers would disembark and transfer to river boats to carry them up the Chagres River to a landing at Gorgona. From there, the route would utilize mules to cross the cordillera and drop down to the city of Panama on the Pacific Coast. Other steamers would run between Panama and Astoria to complete the route. By early 1848, these plans were well underway with the first scheduled departure from New York to sail later that year.

Gold was discovered in the mountains east of Sacramento in early 1848. Word of this discovery reached New York after the first steamship for California, the steamer California, departed in late 1848. When she reached Panama City after rounding Cape Horn a throng of Argonauts clammored for a berth. When the California reached San Francisco, the crew deserted and headed for the diggings. Plans to make Astoria the Pacific terminus were abandoned and San Francisco became the end of the line. After initial problems in getting things organized, a post office was open by March 15, 1849. Within a few weeks, the next steamship, the Oregon, arrived and unloaded beneath the guns of a U.S. naval ship to prevent desertion. The first steamer mail was dispatched by the Oregon on April 12. and the Panama Route began to function. Postage for the new route was high – 40 cents per half ounce, to which a 2 cents ship fee was added for letters deposited at the post office from ships arriving from a foreign port.

News of the new route was published in Honolulu, even before confirmation arrived to know it was in operation. Despite the high postage, the Panama Route quickly became the preferred way to send mail because of the speed plus the security of knowing it would be carried in the U.S. mail once it was deposited at the San Francisco Post Office. From this point until the overland stages became well established in 1859, almost all mail between Hawaii and the Eastern United States or Europe was carried via San Francisco and Panama.

The first cover from Hawaii to go by the new steamship route via San Francisco:

The first cover sent from Honolulu to New England via San Francisco and the new steamship route via Panama bears a San Francisco manuscript postmark dated April 17, 1849. This letter was sent by N. Cook to Capt. William Graves at Newburyport, Massachusetts. Cook commenced his letter "at sea" on March 1, 1849 on board the American merchant ship Leland and completed it March 11 on arrival at Honolulu. Leland reported its arrival to the harbormaster on March 12, from Boston in 144 days. Cook, his wife and son James were on board destined for Asia, and left with the Leland for Manila on March 24.

At Honolulu, the letter was put aboard the Hawaiian schooner S. S., departing March 14 via Lahaina for San Francisco, arriving in the heart of the Gold Rush on April 16, 1849. The new San Francisco post office was still without any postmarking device so the letter was postmarked on April 17 by writing the name of the town and the rating marks "Ship" and "42" to indicate an incoming ship letter rated at 42¢ to be collected from the addressee. Postage included the ship fee of 2¢ and the 40¢ overland rate by the newly established steamship route. The letter was sent east on the first voyage of the steamer California from San Francisco, departing May 1.

Contents of this letter reveal how voyagers took opportunities to send mail home while en route from the Atlantic States to the Pacific. Cook's letter mentions he sent correspondence home on two occasions between Boston and Honolulu. In the Atlantic off South America he sent letters by an "English Brig bound into Rio Janeiro." Later in the voyage, on the Pacific off South America, he sent letters by a Chilean Brig bound into Valparaiso "there to be forwarded by steamer to Panama."

This cover was addressed in the well known handwriting of Joel Turrill, the United States Consul at Honolulu and was sent to his brother-in-law, Stephen Lathrop. Turrill was in Honolulu throughout 1849, so this cover unquestionably originated in Honolulu and is the only know cover bearing the San Francisco straightline, the first postmark adopted by the San Francisco post office and used for a few weeks in 1849. This cover also represents the first recorded envelope (as opposed to a folded letter) from Hawaii. The "40" rate rather than "42", shown on this cover indicates it was sent to San Franicisco and deposited in the Post Office there without being treated as a ship letter – perhaps as an enclosure in another letter or packet addressed to a friend in San Francisco or perhaps carried in the personal effects of a passenger or crewman.

Pre-Postal Covers Sent Via San Francisco and Panama

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