The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Oklahoma Postal History Society is Tuesday evening, April 13, 2010. As has become our habit, a casual dinner meeting starting at 6:30 PM at Johnnies Charcoal Broiler Restaurant, 33 SE 33rd Street in Edmond will be followed by an informal meeting at Prince Engineering Center 2nd floor Computer Lab at Oklahoma Christian University. For details on these events contact joecrosby@cox.net.

The plan is to meet at Johnnies restaurant and enjoy some social time together and then caravan over to nearby Ralph DeBoard’s Computer Lab at Oklahoma Christian University.

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BradyHunt and Joe Crosby came up with the “theme” for this month’s meeting -

————— Oklahoma RFD’s —————

To get the juices flowing here is some basic information:

The Postal Service established free delivery of mail to rural areas in 1896. Oklahoma’s first rural route began serving customers on August 15, 1900 in Hennessey, Oklahoma. According to the Hennessey Clipper newspaper, Albert Darrow was the first Oklahoma Rural Carrier; his route was 24 miles long and covered a 31 square mile area with a population of 700. Darrow provided his own transportation, a horse and wagon and received an annual income of $500.

According to the Report of the First Assistant PMG for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1900 p. 151 this Hennessey RFD Route had l carrier traveling 25 miles.

Also, Bernie Mayer recently discovered the following available online from the USPS:

First Oklahoma RFD

Take a look at this listing and compare what you learn with what you own.

Please bring ALL of your HENNESSEY RFD covers and cards to the meeting and donate them to Joe Crosby’s collection. Seriously, Please bring any Oklahoma RFD material you have to share with the group, hand cancels, pencil and other manuscript cancels, down-to-road items, corner cards, old RFD wagons, ANYTHING.

Oh, yes, the historian of the USPS tells us that the maps for RFD routes (nationwide) were all destroyed during the late depression era, to save money since the archives were getting too full and there were no funds for expansion. So, if you happen to have THE Oklahoma RFD route map in your personal archive, please share that with the group as well.
See you there !

EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA – OPHS is on the move!!!

A casual dinner meeting is planned for Tuesday Mar. 9, 2010 starting at 6:30 PM at Johnnies Charcoal Broiler Restaurant, 33 SE 33rd Street, in Edmond, OK. followed by an informal meeting at Prince Engineering Center 2nd floor Computer Lab at Oklahoma Christian University. For details on these events contact: bradyh18@sbcglobal.net .

The plan is to meet at Johnnies restaurant (as usual) and enjoy some social time together and then caravan over to nearby Ralph DeBoard’s Computer Lab at Oklahoma Christian University where everyone is encouraged to bring one item such as:

A recent acquistion

A problem cover

A current research project or discovery OR

A gem from your personal Oklahoma Postal History Archive

We will be finishing up the Cotton County discussion and begin discussing Washington County as we attempt to collect enough data to make some intelligent guesses as to scarcity.

Hope to see you next Tuesday. Please send an email to Brady Hunt at bradyh18@sbcglobal.net and let him know if you are planning to be there for the dinner at Johnnie’s or just at the meeting at the computer lab.

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