Ted Gruber
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Ted Gruber
@cowlitzbook.bsky.social
Author of the book "Postal History of Cowlitz County, Washington"
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Postal 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
I'm proud to announce my book "Postal History of Cowlitz County, Washington" was awarded a large gold medal in the philatelic literature exhibition held at Chicagopex 2025 from November 21-23.

#postalhistory #cowlitz
November 25, 2025 at 4:54 PM
I'm proud to announce my book "Postal History of Cowlitz County, Washington" was awarded a gold medal in the philatelic literature exhibition held at the 2025 Great American Stamp Show (GASS) in Chicago from August 14-17. GASS is the premier annual national philatelic event in the US.
#GASS #Cowlitz
August 19, 2025 at 12:35 AM
The 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
June 12, 2025 at 9:18 PM
This 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
May 18, 2025 at 6:07 PM
I will be participating in the Columbia River Author Festival at the Longview Library in Longview, WA on Saturday, May 17, 2025. Book signing from 10:00am to 4:00pm, short presentation on the history of the Longview post office at 12:30pm.

#cowlitz #postalhistory #washington #longview #pnw
May 11, 2025 at 6:56 PM
I will be giving a presentation on Cowlitz County postal history at the annual meeting of the Pacific Northwest Postal History Society at 1:00pm on Saturday, May 3 at the PIPEX stamp show in Clackamas, OR. A book signing will follow. All are welcome to attend.

#cowlitz #postalhistory #pipex #pnwphs
April 15, 2025 at 9:12 PM
This 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
March 23, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Birds eye view of Kalama, Washington from about 1910.

#cowlitz #postalhistory #kalama #washington
March 3, 2025 at 11:32 PM
The 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
January 31, 2025 at 1:06 AM
The 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
January 23, 2025 at 4:55 AM
The 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
January 13, 2025 at 3:05 AM
This 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
January 11, 2025 at 3:36 AM
This 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
December 29, 2024 at 8:59 PM
The 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
December 20, 2024 at 6:15 PM
A 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
December 19, 2024 at 1:27 AM
This 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
December 14, 2024 at 6:33 PM
On 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
December 10, 2024 at 9:51 PM
The 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
December 8, 2024 at 9:46 PM
The 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
December 7, 2024 at 12:18 AM
This 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
December 6, 2024 at 4:34 AM
This 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.
December 6, 2024 at 4:27 AM
This 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
December 6, 2024 at 4:19 AM
Postal 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
December 6, 2024 at 4:08 AM