Oceana County MI Archives History - Books .....Early Mails 1882
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Jan Cortez http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00020.html#0004939 December 17, 2008, 5:57 pm

Book Title: HISTORY OF OCEANA CO., CHICAGO, H.R. PAGE & COMPANY, 1882

The first settler, of course, experienced great difficulty in keeping up their 
postal communication with the outer world, and as the earliest settlements 
were along the beach and in the south-eastern quarter, the first postoffices 
were at Anderson's (Whisky Creek, now Claybanks postoffice,) at Stony Creek, 
(Benona postoffice, of which Hon. A. R. Wheeler has continuously been 
postmaster), and then at Pentwater - the first postmaster, E. R. Cobb.  Mr. 
Wheeler who came in the beginning of 1853, states the few settlers along the 
Claybanks and at the Creek, instead of going individually to Grand Haven, 
hired a man to go for them, giving him 25 cents for each letter he took out, 
and 12 1/2 cents for each letter he brought in, and as the postage was then 25 
cents on an ordinary letter, it would cost in all 50 cents to send out each 
letter, and 87 1/2 cents for one received if the postage was not prepaid.  
They also paid five cents for the carriage of each newspaper.

The next step was to petition the Legislature to establish a weekly mail route 
from Grand Haven to Manistee, along the beach, which was done in 1856, Henry 
Pennoyer, of Crockery Creek, Ottawa County, being the first mail contractor, 
and retaining the contract for eight years.  In 1860 the mail service became 
semi-weekly.  The mail was at first carried on horseback, and many were the 
narrow escapes in crossing rivers.  One driver was drowned, another narrowly 
escaped, and several horses were lost - two horses being lost at Pentwater, at 
one time, and two at Ludington, with the driver, named "Dolph."

Pentwater was the great centre from which for many years mail matter was 
distributed.  Until 1864, all the postoffice in Hart was a fence corner, in 
which letters were left, and the first postoffice was in what is now the Argus 
office.  The postoffice at Blackberry Ridge was established twenty years ago, 
and was for seventeen years kept in J. Gibbs' house.

The postoffice at Pentwater was opened in 1856, with E. R. Cobb as postmaster.

The postoffice was established in shelby, December 15, 1866, previous to which 
the mail was got in Benona.  Walter H. Churchill was appointed postmaster, and 
still retains the office.

New Era postoffice was not established until 1873, P. Goble being first 
postmaster, followed by Joseph Zeek, and then by the present postmaster J. M. 
Wilson.

Additional Comments:
HISTORY OF OCEANA CO., CHICAGO, H.R. PAGE & COMPANY, 1882


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