![]() Astonishingly, such letters were received!īecause of its location, The Dalles continued to serve as a hub for the various transportation methods through the years and provided a touchpoint for communication. Sometimes the letter might be addressed to a missionary or individual, “Beyond the Rocky Mountains” or to a specific mission. Each step of the way the personal hand written words would somehow make their way to the intended recipient. Rapids, hostile trails, inclement weather days on end. ![]() By the mid-1880s, railroads became the preferred option.Įach delivery method is explored with detailed content of letters and images and the ever changing circumstances that went with each transportation mode. In the 1850s and 1860s, post offices were established and contracts signed for carrying mail by steamboats and stagecoaches, although much mail was privately carried by express companies. The exhibit focuses on the importance of mail as it was the only way the earliest non-Indian residents in the Pacific Northwest could communicate with distant family and friends and conduct far-away business. In the 1830s and 1840s, letters were carried via Indian canoes on the Columbia River, or by foot or horseback on barely discernible trails. Original letters and envelopes, along with period paintings, photographs, documents, and related artifacts, are presented as testament to the transportation challenges our forefathers faced to just keep in touch. ![]() Transporting the Mail from, to and through The Dalles, 1830-1890’sĬolumbia Gorge Discovery Centers current exhibit is about the physical and sometimes arduous history of communication. This is a fascinating, visual journey of how mail, has moved through The Dalles from the early 1830s through the 1890s. Deliver in Haste, Showing through December 2018 ![]()
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