Ted Gruber @cowlitzbook.bsky.social · 03/01/2026Rumor has it this may be a distraction from the kangaroos starting their own competing zoo. 050
Ted Gruber @cowlitzbook.bsky.social · 05/12/2025Did you really need a Primate Linguist to figure that out? 000
Ted Gruber @cowlitzbook.bsky.social · 02/10/2025Southwestern Washington, about 8:45pm Pacific time tonight. 040
Ted Gruber @cowlitzbook.bsky.social · 12/06/2025The Pigeon Springs, WA post office operated from 1913 to 1924 at a rustic resort and hotel (really more of a lodge) about 17 miles up the Kalama River. Access from Kalama proved costly and difficult, contributing to the demise of the enterprise. #cowlitz #postalhistory #kalama #pigeonsprings 050
Ted Gruber @cowlitzbook.bsky.social · 18/05/2025This post card bears the only known example of an Elk Creek, WA postmark. This remote post office operated 1912-1917 and its site is within the 1980 Mount St. Helens blast zone. The card was sent in 1913 by Pearl Gould, the first and only Elk Creek postmaster. #cowlitz #postalhistory #mountsthelens 1234
Ted Gruber @cowlitzbook.bsky.social · 08/04/2025This event cover commemorating the March 27 eruption was postmarked in Cougar on April 9, soon after the video in this post was made. #cowlitz #postalhistory #cougar #mountsthelens #pnw 091
Ted Gruber @cowlitzbook.bsky.social · 23/03/2025This 1891 registered cover from Tucker, WA is franked with 16¢ postage paying the 10¢ registration fee plus the 6¢ first class rate for a letter weighing more than two ounces but not more than three ounces. Tucker post office operated from 1885 to 1906. #cowlitz #postalhistory #washington #tucker 030
Ted Gruber @cowlitzbook.bsky.social · 03/03/2025Birds eye view of Kalama, Washington from about 1910. #cowlitz #postalhistory #kalama #washington 040
Ted Gruber @cowlitzbook.bsky.social · 31/01/2025The Silver Lake, WA post office operated from 1875 to 1876, and again from 1885 to 1985. It moved into this building about 1964 and operated there until it was discontinued in 1985. A community mailbox now marks its site. Photo taken June 1972. #cowlitz #postalhistory #postoffice #silverlake 030
Ted Gruber @cowlitzbook.bsky.social · 23/01/2025The Saint Helen, WA post office operated from 1893 to 1936 in at least four locations in the North Fork of the Toutle River valley about 25 miles east of Castle Rock. This 1903 example shows the earlier of the two known Saint Helen postmark types. #cowlitz #postalhistory #sainthelen #mountsthelens 040
Ted Gruber @cowlitzbook.bsky.social · 13/01/2025The Columbia River Bridge (now Lewis & Clark Bridge) connecting Longview, WA with Rainier, OR opened at 2:00pm on March 29, 1930. Before the bridge opened, the mail route between Longview and Rainier used a ferry across the river. #cowlitz #postalhistory #longview #columbiariver #bridge #rainier 140
Ted Gruber @cowlitzbook.bsky.social · 11/01/2025This view of Olequa, Washington from about 1909 shows the Bertrand store, the two-story building on the right side of the Northern Pacific tracks. Olequa post office operated from 1875 to 1912, and at the time of this photo, was inside the Bertrand store. #cowlitz #postalhistory #olequa #washington 010
Ted Gruber @cowlitzbook.bsky.social · 29/12/2024This 1949 registered air mail cover sent from Kelso, WA to South West Africa (now Namibia) reached its final destination in just 7 days despite being forwarded within SWA. The 50¢ postage pays the 25¢ air mail rate + 25¢ registry fee with minimum indemnity. #cowlitz #postalhistory #kelso #airmail 020
Ted Gruber @cowlitzbook.bsky.social · 20/12/2024The substantial damage from the July 27, 1907 fire at Stella, Washington is evident in this split view post card showing the Stella waterfront before and after the fire. Note the tall ship docked at left in the earlier view. #cowlitz #postalhistory #stella #fires #columbiariver #washington 020
Ted Gruber @cowlitzbook.bsky.social · 19/12/2024A fire destroyed much of the Stella waterfront, including the store housing the post office, on July 27, 1907. The postmark device in use was lost in the fire. Dated July 30, this is the only known example of the emergency manuscript postmark used right after the fire. #cowlitz #postalhistory #fires 010
Ted Gruber @cowlitzbook.bsky.social · 14/12/2024This 1869 cover sent from Freeport to Astoria, OR traveled the overland mail route from Freeport to Vancouver, WA. It should have then gone by the Columbia River steamboat mail route west to Astoria, but it was mistakenly sent east and ended up in Salt Lake City 8 days later. #cowlitz #postalhistory 010
Ted Gruber @cowlitzbook.bsky.social · 10/12/2024On this card to Switzerland, the sender affixed a 1¢ stamp when the UPU international post card rate was 2¢. Postage due was 2¢ (10 centimes) because it was subject to twice the deficient amount (2x 1¢). But something else is wrong. Can you see it? #cowlitz #postalhistory #kalama #washington 010
Ted Gruber @cowlitzbook.bsky.social · 08/12/2024The steamer “Lurline” is shown leaving the Oak Point docks about 1911. The Lurline and other Columbia River steamboats supplied mail to Stella and Oak Point until 1914. #cowlitz #postalhistory #oakpoint #washington #columbiariver #steamboat #lurline 030
Ted Gruber @cowlitzbook.bsky.social · 07/12/2024The Barnes store at Silver Lake, shown about 1912, was owned by postmaster Frank Barnes and housed the Silver Lake post office. Barnes sold the store in January 1919, but the post office remained there through two other postmasters until the store burned in 1925. #cowlitz #postalhistory #silverlake 020
Ted Gruber @cowlitzbook.bsky.social · 06/12/2024This 1853 or 1854 stampless cover with an Oak Point W.T. manuscript postmark applied by postmaster Alexander Abernethy is the earliest known postmark from what is now Cowlitz County. The Oak Point post office was established in 1851 while part of Oregon Territory. #cowlitz #postalhistory #oakpoint 010
Ted Gruber @cowlitzbook.bsky.social · 06/12/2024This cover bears a Monticello W.T. manuscript postmark from either 1860 or 1861. The stamp was among those demonetized starting in September 1861 because of the Civil War. The Monticello post office operated from 1850 to 1876 and was the first post office established in what is now Cowlitz County. 020
Ted Gruber @cowlitzbook.bsky.social · 06/12/2024This is the earliest known postmark from Longview, Washington, just one week after the post office began operations on January 16, 1923. The unusual two-word spelling LONG VIEW was simply a mistake made when the postmark device was created. #cowlitz #postalhistory #longview 1151
Ted Gruber @cowlitzbook.bsky.social · 06/12/2024Postal History of Cowlitz County, Washington is a 294-page book by Ted Gruber. The book is written not just for a postal history audience, but for anybody interested in the history of southwest Washington. Available through www.cowlitzbook.com. #cowlitz #postalhistory #postoffice #history 1122
