Estill & Co. Express

ESTILL & CO. EXPRESS

By Fames W. Milgram

When the hordes from the East crossed the country in 1849 and the following years to seek the gold in "them thar hills," they left many friends and relatives behind them. Naturally, a desire to trade news required the extension of mail service farther west. The government maintained a post office in San Francisco, but the gold seekers and settlers who crossed overland wished to write letters on the way to assure their families of continued safety and good health. On the Oregon Trail, Fort Laramie was an ideal stopping place between Oregon and Missouri. It was not until July 1, 1850, that a "regular" United States mail service was established between Salt Lake City, Utah, and Independence, Missouri, which passed through Fort Laramie.

The stampless cover here pictured is one of these early letters mailed before the advent of government mail service. What is especially interesting is the manuscript "Estil and Co., Express." The letter that follows (slightly edited for comprehensibility) besides being a fascinating account of life on the trail, gives us a few clues to the usage:

My beloved wife June 24, 1850

I now take this opertunity to write a few lines to you to inform of my health which is good at presant and hoping that this will find you enjoying the same blessing. When I last wrote we were at Laramie. We saw A. Woodard that day after we left the fort the first and last man we have seen that we ever saw before since we left St. Joseph. He is now behind a few miles. We have ben in sight of snow on the mountains since I last wrote and to day we have past many drifts beside of the road in the valey of the sweetwater river. There is high mountains about ten miles distant on the right covered with snow. It is snowing on them this afternoon. We are now with in one and a half miles of the deviding ridge of the atlantick and passiffic nine hundred miles from St. Joe. We arived at the ferry on the upper platte on the 15th and was detained from sauterday noon til tuesday morning. We atemted to swim our stock cross the river but did not sucseed in getting but one over, the rest we had to fery them. The price was $5,00 for the wagon 2,00 per head for cattle 1,00 for pony and 3,00 to the ferryman to pass us. Before our turn came if we had not taken this course, we should have ben detained one day longer and had to kept our cattle tied up without anything to eat. There has ben quite a number drowned in the atemt to swim their stock. The water is verry cold and curent swift and in the parts whare catle can swim it, if a man gets in further than he can wade he has got to cross or drown. We have got one more stream to cross that is bad. If we can not drive our cattle over handy we shall ferry that also. We have money enough; it is not the case with all. The teams that we are with has not any. We have traveled 70 miles among mountains composed of entire rock, basalt and granite. We have pased the most dangerous part of the road. On account of the alcalie water there has ben quite a number of cattle poisend. I should think that we have seen about twenty lying dead in the road. Our teame is in good condition. Three of them is a little sore footed but we have enough so that we can drive some of them loose and they will soon get over it. We feel perfectly safe as far as concerns getting through. We may loose some of our cattle by getting lame. If one should get so that could not keepup, we shall drive on and leave him. Our position in the emegration is good now and we mean to keep it so. We do not intend to fall back any, if anything gain on thos that are ahead. Aaron found a purse containing twenty-five dollars in gold. I expect to send this letter the express for the emegrants and is now recruiting five miles from here. This is the last letter that you will be likely got from me that comes this way. The rest will have to through calafornia. It is healthy on the road. There has ben a little sicness whare we have ben. I not any thing more to write. I should like to see you, Ezra and sis but cannot now, but the time will come when I hope we shall be to gether in our log cabin whare I have enjoyed some of my happyest hours and if life is spared hope to enjoy many more.

Albert S. Holmes

From the letter it is apparent that Holmes and Company were about to cross South Pass. His wagon train had evidently bumped into the express on the trail. The most probable origin of Estill and Company seems to be Salt Lake City, for the Mormons were interested in maintaining communication with the East.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City has several original letters on file that go far in elucidating the composition of this company. In the Journal History under July 27, 1850:

Col. I. M. Estill, of Missouri, laid before President Brigham Young and several brethren, in Great Salt Lake City, proposals for taking stock in a company organized for carrying the mail and passengers from Independence, Missouri, To San Francisco. The Colonel named several gentlemen, mostly of St. Louis, who were desirous of taking stock in such a company, the most of whom were willing and desirous that the community at Salt Lake should take half the stock of the company, and manage the line half the distance. The subject of building stations along the line and bridges across the principal streams and stocking the line was discussed at length.

Also on file are two letters of Estill that try to persuade President Brigham Young to back the company financially. The first is dated July 10, 1850. The letter states that he brought out the express mail "this spring" as an experiment and was satisfied that it would be a lucrative business. Other pertinent points were that there:

were twelve gentlemen of his acquaintance who were ready to take up the whole stock of a company of $200,000 to open a mail line from San Francisco to Ft. Leavenworth. It was to go twice a week for five months in twelve. Mail and passenger coaches carrying seventy two passengers each at $250, besides the government would pay for the transportation of the mail. He expected to make a new road or change the old one greatly. Building houses some 25 to 30 miles apart to take care of the horses and mules, and for cooking and keeping passengers.

He was desirous that the route go through Salt Lake City, and that Brigham Young take some stock and conduct and control a great portion of the road.

On October 2, 1850, Estill wrote to Young from Mormon Tavern, California, describing part of the route to be followed. He was satisfied, he wrote, that he could "go from the City of the Great Salt Lake to Sacramento in 600 miles, with not too many mountains and plenty of water and grass." The letter is not detailed enough to make out the exact route he took. He mentioned the fact that since opening the project to the people of California he had found that any amount of stock could be sold in a day. He thought that all the beef needed in California must come from the "States," and his opening his company would enable him to control the stock market, making almost a complete monopoly. He could buy lame animals for practically nothing, put them in shape again, and sell them for a profit. He could do> this by having means of taking care of them every 25 miles. He thought he could "prevail upon Congress to increase their capital to» one million dollars."

There is no reference as to whether the company ever operated as outlined in these letters. However, the Holmes letter herein described indicates that at least trial runs were being made. The listing of express companies in The Stamp Specialist, Vol. 2, mentions an "Estrill and Co." operating in the west (1849-1851) but no further details are given. Much factual information is to be found in an article by Clyde E. Smith in Weekly Philatelic Gossip (December 12, 1953) but until July, 1850, all expresses seem to have been failures.

The Holmes letter was placed in the mails August 16, 1850, in Weston, Missouri, and sent collect at the ten cents rate (over 300 miles) to Wisconsin. The "paid to here" was added by Mrs. Holmes, who sent the letter on to another relative.

We can just imagine the joy of the travelers to encounter someone to carry news home. A contemporary wrote: "The cry is 'still they come.' Yesterday 180 wagons passed here [Fort Laramie], making in all 656. A cartload of letters starts for the frontiers this morning, and I presume many mothers, wives and sweethearts will soon be made happy."

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