234 HISTORY OP PASADENA. 



THE STORY OP THE POSTOPPICE. 



For ten years after Pasadena's settlement by Americans it was com- 

 monly called the ' ' Indiana Colony ; ' ' and it was more than two years after 

 the date of settlement before a local postofl&ce was obtained ; but none of 

 the old settlers could tell with any certainty just when they began to have 

 a postoffice of their own. I pursued the inquiry among them for nearly a 

 year, and the nearest to any definite date I could get was, that Miss Jennie 

 Hollingsworth (now Mrs. J. R. Giddings) remembered that she wrote a 

 letter during the colony picnic in the old oak grove at Lincoln park on July 

 4, 1876, and there was no postoffice here then, for she had to send her letter 

 to lyos Angeles for mailing. For several months before a local office was 

 finally obtained, young Morton Banbury, son of Col. J. Banbury, kept up a 

 sort of " free delivery " service for all the lower portion of the colony. He 

 was attending school in Los Angeles and rode back and forth every day on 

 his own pony. The mail for these people all came to Los Angeles ; and 

 every day after school he called at the postoffice there for the colony mail, 

 and distributed it on his way home to such families as lived on the line of 

 his ride. He did this merel}^ as a neighborly accommodation ; and was as 

 careful and anxious and painstaking to do it satisfactorily to the people 

 served as if he had been getting a good salary for it. As the months wore 

 on and the mail matter increased, the little kindness which he had set out 

 to do for the neighbors became a serious burden of care and overtaxing 

 labor, in addition to his daily ride of eighteen miles on horseback and his 

 daily work to keep up with his classes ; and he broke down under the 

 strain, took sick, and died September 4, 1877. 



I did get a few random points in regard to the first efforts at securing 

 a postoffice, but nothing definite enough to call "history" ; and at last I 

 wrote to Washington explaining my dilemma and appealing for reliable in- 

 formation. In reply I received the following : 



Post Office Department, 

 Oppice op the Fourth Assistant Postmaster General. 

 Washington, D. C, February 9, 1895. 



Respectfully returned to the writer, with the desired information at- 

 tached : 



OFFICE POSTMASTER DATE OF APPOINTMENT 



Pasadena Josiah Locke (established) March 15, 1875 



Pasadena Office discontinued Dec. 30, 1875 



Pasadena Office re-established ..Sept. 21, 1876 



Pasadena Henry T. Hollingsworth Sept. 21, 1876 



Pasadena Arthur S. Hollingsworth June 18, 1879 



Pasadena Romayne Williams April 7, 1880 



Pasadena Albert O. Bristol July 31, 1885 



Pasadena Bayard T. Smith Oct. 25, 1886 



Pasadena Frank H. Oxner March 25, 1887 



Pasadena Willis U. Masters June 20, 1887 



Pasadena George F. Kernaghan* March 19, 1891 



*Mr. Kernaghan's certificate or commission is dated February 20, 1892, to run four years from De- 

 cember 16, 1891. It is signed by Benj. Harrison, President, and by S. A. Whitfield, acting Postmaster- 

 General. 



