Lot 073 1894, Bicycle Mail Route, California, 25c green panel of six

The Pullman rail strike in Illinois cut off all rail service west of Detroit, leaving California train-less and mail-less. In July of 1894 in response to the strike, Arthur Banta owner of the Victor Cyclery store in Fresno, organized a 210-mile bicycle route which would carry a letter from Fresno to San Francisco for 25 cents. Banta used Eugene Donze, of the engraver of the die. Donze was not known for his aptitude in spelling and the first plate spelled “San Fransisco” with an ? S?. This plate among other changes, corrects the ?s? to a ?c? as shown in this example. The route ended at the conclusion of the Pullman Strike. This is a fascinating story.