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Arizona Territorial Covers Collection 1856-1912

MS 047

Historical Note

Territorial Arizona saw an increase in population starting in the 1850s with the prospect of “striking it rich” in mining. Camps and towns grew as supporting industries sprang up to service the miners. Post offices were established throughout the territory, opening and closing as mines went boom and bust.

The correspondence of early Arizonans, postmarked by these early post offices, help tell the story of territorial Arizona. The envelopes, or “covers,” can provide historical information. Postal historians have identified earliest and latest dates of particular types of postmarks from particular towns, establishing the chronology of post office operations in each location.

Scope and Content Note

This collection includes covers, postcards, personal, business, and government letters mailed from towns in Arizona during the state’s territorial period. The materials offer a “slice of life” view of the inhabitants during the territorial period. They also demonstrate the manner in which paper was sent through the mail, including addressing practices, envelope sizes, penmanship, and manner of cancellation. Items of interest include hand-cancelled stamps, picture and holiday postcards, store orders, pictorial cachets, bank statements, registered package receipts, a postcard addressed to George J. Roskruge in Tucson, private post, a leather postcard, a letter from Whipple Barracks, a letter from Territorial Governor C. Meyer appointing B.M. Jacobs to the Board of Regents , a letter from Secretary of Territory James A. Bayard to B.M. Jacobs confirming his appointment, and cattle branding requests. Included with some items are identification slips that include town, county, date, Kriege type, Kriege value, cost data, and notes.

Arrangement Note

Restrictions

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions on use, except: not available through interlibrary loan.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission to publish from the owner of the copyright (the institution, the creator of the record, the author or his/her transferees, heirs, legates, or literary executors). The user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Postal History Foundation, its officers, employees, and agents from and against all claims made by any person asserting that he or she is an owner of copyright.

Related Material

Separated Materials

Access Terms

Administrative Information

Custodial History

The provenance for this collection is unknown

Preferred Citation

Arizona Territory Covers Collection. Postal History Foundation. Tucson, Arizona.

Processing Information

Processed Cosette Hutton and Valerie Kittell in 2014. Revised by Cosette Hutton, Cindy Konst, Margaret Preston, and Valerie Kittell in 2016.

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