Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 25.djvu/31

 THE CALIFORNIA AND OREGON TRAIL 21 lishment of mail, express and telegraph service, and of great trains of freight wagons. Like the emigrants, these for the most part followed the great central route to the West. The first mail service was establshed in 1850, between Independence and Salt Lake City. Monthly trips were made beginning on July 1. From Salt Lake City, the service was soon extended to Sacramento, California. 1 By 1856 the mail contract had fallen into the hands of the Mormons, but it was taken from them in 1857, during the Mormon war, of which more will be said later. 2 During that trouble a weekly mail was instituted in order that more regular communication might be main- tained between the government and the troops in Utah. The time required to carry the mail from St. Joseph to Placerville 3 was thirty-eight days. 4 After the trouble with the Mormons was over, this service on June 30, 1859, was cut down to semi-monthly trips. 5 In May of that year the contract was taken by the firm of Russell, Majors and Waddell. 6 For many years the service was irregular and un- certain. The road was difficult in winter. The mail was frequently from two to four months late. 7 Due partly to this and to the strength of the South in Congress the main overland route was transferred to the Southwest in 1858. On September 15, of that year the Butterfield Southern Overland Mail began carrying mail from St. a Morton, Illustrated History of Nebraska, Vol. I, p. 93; Charles F. Lummis, "Pioneer Transportation in America," McClure's Magazine. Vol. XXVI, p. 84. 2 Burton, The City of Saints and Across the Rocky Mountains to Cal- ifornia, p. 4. 3 Senate Executive Documents, 36 Cong., 1 sess., Vol. Ill Doc 2 Ser No. 1025, p. 1412. ' 4 House Executive Documents, 35 Cong., 2 sess., Vol. II Pt IV Doc 2 Ser. No. 1000, p. 722. » • » •» 5 Senate Executive Documents, 36 Cong., 1 sess., Vol III Doc 2 Ser No. 1025, p. 1412. ' 6 Burton, op. cit., p. 4. 7 House Executive Documents, 35 Cong., 1 sess., Vol. II Pt III Doc 2 Ser. No. 944, pp. 993-994. ' '