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THE ENVELOPES….THEIR HISTORY AND HOW TO PURCHASE THEM
The Gold Rush Trail
In 1858, 150 years ago, British Columbia became a British Colony. One of the first tasks of the new colonial government was to commission the building of a road to the Cariboo goldfields. The Gold Rush Trail follows this historic Cariboo Waggon Road (note the unique spelling of both Cariboo and Waggon). For detailed information about this route click on The Cariboo Waggon Road, Sled Dogs and the Mail. Very briefly, the mail is transported for three days in the basket of a dogsled through the sites of six former or existing post offices, including Barkerville, the fifth oldest operating post office in the province of British Columbia.
Mail By Dogteam
Transporting Mail by dog team is a “northern” tradition. However it was in Canada, more than any other country in the world where the transport of mail using sled dogs was an integral part of life in the winter. It is not just a historical fact, it has become part of our culture, part of just who Canadians are as a people.
At one point in the history of northern Canada, sled dog transport represented the only available method of winter transportation short of walking and it was certainly the fastest method. And the term “northern” referred to the northern parts of virtually every province, not just what we refer to as the far north, when talking about the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut. And this method of transportation, which was slowly replaced by air mail beginning in the 1920’s stretches back to the earliest days of the explorers, settlement and missionaries and it persisted until the late 1960’s in a very few remote areas in Canada’s north. Now there is only one place left in the world where it is possible to address an envelope anywhere in the world, post this envelope in a post box in the regular mail system, have it hand-cancelled in various communities along its route, have it transported by sled dog team partway along the route and finally to have it delivered anywhere in the world.
The Mail Run Envelopes
Each year for the past 18 years, artists have been commissioned to develop sled-dog related artwork for use on the Mail Run envelopes. The end result is an impressive collection of original envelopes, all of them are collectors’ items and many are no longer available except from collectors. To see the full set of these envelopes please click here. The following is the wording of the insert that will be placed inside every envelope:
"You are the recipient of this very special piece of mail, a 2010 Gold Rush Trail Dog Sled Mail Run - "Carried By Dogteam," - collector's envelope.
On Friday January 22nd, a group of dog mushers gathered in front of the post office in downtown Quesnel, British Columbia, where they were sworn in as "official" Canada Post mail carriers. They were each given a mail bag stuffed with the special Mail Run Envelopes, they promised to deliver the mail safely no matter what weather they would face and they then made their way to the trailhead north of Quesnel for the start of their three day trip over the Gold Rush Trail to Barkerville and Wells.
At the end of Day 1 the mail carriers and their handlers camped next to the site of Cottonwood House, one of the last remaining road houses dating back to the Cariboo Gold Rush of the 1860's. At the end of Day 2, camp was made at Troll Ski Resort, the former site of Pinegrove House, another resting spot for gold miners and their animals along the Cariboo Waggon Road. On Day 3 the mail carriers passed through the Gold Rush ghost towns of Stanley, Van Winkle and Richfield, before traveling down the main street of the Gold Rush historic town of Barkerville. Finally, the dog teams raced to the 1930's gold mining town of Wells where the envelopes were handed over to the Canada Post Superintendent who in turn arranged for them to re-enter the regular postal system for delivery to you.
Your envelope has had quite a trip! Look closely at the cancellation stamps from the communities of Quesnel, Barkerville and Wells and notice the colourful logos of the communities that the mail passed through on its journey. Each of these communities is the site of an existing or a former post office,
The delivery of mail by dog team is deeply rooted in Canadian heritage. During the 18th and 19th centuries, throughout the northern parts of Canada, when waterways were frozen and snow lay deep on the land, sled dogs represented the most efficient way of traveling from one point to another. Many of these dog teams carried the mail. It wasn't until the 1920's, when a group of daredevil WWI fighter pilots pioneered the art of flying bush planes throughout the Canadian north, that mail began to be transported by aircraft, rather than by dog teams. But sled dogs continued to carry the Queen's Mail in very isolated areas right up until the 1960's. The Gold Rush Trail Dog Sled Mail Run may be the only place left where regular Canada Post mail is transported by dog team.
The artwork freatured on the 2010 envelope is the work of Daniel Pfister, a Quesnel-based photographer and artist".
Note:Daniel followed the 2009 Mail Run, snapping photographs the whole way. In the off-season he completed several wonderful drawings from his photos. Mark Johnson, a skijorer from Shoreline Washington who travelled the complete 2009 Mail Run trail with his two little dogs, (one of them borrowed from a friend), is the subject of the 2010 artwork. Not only did Mark complete the whole route in fine fashion, but he camped out every night in -30C temperatures, cooking hot meals for himself and his dogs as he went. Mark is a true Ironman. The artwork clearly conveys the bond that exists between the skijorer and his dogs and note that Mark was also carrying his share of the Canada Post mail.
The Gold Rush Trail Sled Dog Mail Run envelopes are very special. When your envelope arrives at its final destination it will contain three cancellation stamps (Quesnel, Barkerville and Wells B.C.), and a “Carried By Dogteam” stamp. The envelope carries the Gold Rush Trail logo and the logos of six past and present post offices passed along the route (Quesnel, Cottonwood House, Stanley, Van Winkle, Barkerville and Wells). And of course the required postage will be affixed to each envelope. Finally, a very special insert describing the Mail Run and its significance is included in each envelope.
Getting These Envelopes To You
From various sources the envelopes are gathered together at the post office in Quesnel B.C. where they are hand cancelled and stamped with the special “Carried By Dogteam” stamp. They are then bundled for freight in the dog sleds to be carried over the Gold Rush Trail. The official mail carriers are sworn in for this special task, the mail is treated no differently than regular mail. It is the mail carrier’s responsibility to safeguard the mail as he or she travels along the trail and during overnight campouts.
When the dogsleds pull into Wells, the mail carrier will hand over the mail to the Canada Post Area Superintendent and the mail enters the regular mail system for eventual delivery anywhere in the world. In past years these envelopes have ended up in over 20 different countries. Organizers are overwhelmed with stories from individuals who were thrilled to receive such a unique and thoughtful momento from others.
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