Show Rider Spent Month on First Mail ail Route Through Moab of western Colorado and meant much in the settlement of this area One of the most dangerous mail mall routes in pioneer history was the route between Salina Utah and Ouray Colo which passed through Moab The route established In la 1879 is described in a manuscript left lert by the late Frank Silvey which now is In the possession of the Grand County Camp of the Daughters Daughters Daugh Daugh- of Utah J This mail mall route started at SalIna Salina Salma Sal Sal- ina ma Utah thence to Green River thence to Moab La Sal Paradox Naturita Placerville thence on to Ouray a distance of about three hundred and fifty miles or seven hundred miles the round trip The first mail mall carrier was aman a aman aman man by the name of Howard who carried it several months Then Tom Brewster was the regular carrier for about two years This mail route had no regular schedule but a sort of go as you please schedule Sometimes it took a month sometimes six weeks to make the round trip The mall mail carrier had bad a saddle and pack horse loaded with witha a light bed some flour bacon coffee and a canteen of water and would camp whenever the horses began to tire As there was no change of horses along the way great care was taken to favor the horses as much as possible The mall mail carrier Silvey pointed out mt had to ford or swim the Price Green Grand Dolores and San Miguel rivers all dangerous in time of high water The La Sal divide could be difficult In winter and the carrier kept on the lookout for hostile Indians Over this entire route route of of miles said Silvey Sivey there were perhaps less than one hundred bundred people to serve Rather small smaIl leather mall sacks served for all mail along the route as few people wrote letters in those days and few took even one small newspaper news news- paper But it is said that thousands of dollars in currency was sent over this route by registered malland mall mail malt and safely reached its destination Silvey points out that this mall mail route was the first tobe tobe to to- be established in southeastern Utah and a considerable portion |