A mustached mail carrier stands beside a canvas-covered wagon, holding the reins of two harnessed horses. He wears a brimmed hat, jacket, and waistcoat with a watch chain. The wagon’s large spoked wheels and open front are clearly visible, while its canvas side carries the lettering “U. S. MAIL.” A steep grassy bank rises behind the team.
White handwriting reproduced within the lower part of the photograph reads “Mail. Man. near. Elton. Neb.” This identifies the scene as near Elton rather than within the settlement itself. An undated pencil annotation on the reverse supplies Custer County. Neither the carrier’s name nor the date of the photograph is established.
The divided postcard back bears an elaborate calligraphic name-and-place inscription, “A. S. Nash / Broken Bow, / Neb.” Its purpose is not explicit: it does not securely establish Nash as either the photographer or the man pictured. Pencil notes above the printed heading read “ELTON, NEB DPO / CUSTER COUNTY / PEAK POP 26.” These are recorded as annotations, not independently verified historical claims. The address field is blank, with no stamp or postal cancellation visible.
- Title on card
- Mail. Man. near. Elton. Neb. (inscribed)
- Medium
- RPPC
- Subject
- Nebraska, Occupational, Outdoor Scene
- Dimensions
- 5.53 × 3.49 in (140.4 × 88.7 mm)
- Condition
- Lower-left corner creased and split, with small surface losses at the bottom edge; a narrow vertical crease is visible in the left border. Otherwise sound, with the principal subject and negative caption clear.
- Provenance
- The reverse bears the calligraphic inscription “A. S. Nash / Broken Bow, / Neb.” Its relationship to the photograph is unestablished; no ownership chain is documented.
- Catalogue no.
- MRPPC3473
Catalogue details
Location
Rural vicinity of Elton, Custer County, Nebraska · Elton (historical settlement), Custer County, Nebraska, United States, United States
Photographed subject · Region · 88% confidence
The supplied front caption, “Mail. Man. near. Elton. Neb.,” explicitly identifies Elton’s vicinity—not a site within the settlement. Independent archival evidence confirms this place: the University of Nebraska–Lincoln preserves a September 20, 1880 Post Office Department certificate appointing James Boggs postmaster at Elton, Custer County, Nebraska. This corroborates the caption’s locality and independently verifies the county annotation; it does not identify the pictured carrier. ([historyharvest.unl.edu](https://historyharvest.unl.edu/items/show/1113)) The transcribed 1890–91 Nebraska State Gazetteer also lists farmers with Elton addresses under Custer County, while the county’s official historical account recognizes Elton and its discontinued post office. ([usgennet.org](https://www.usgennet.org/usa/ne/topic/resources/NSHS/1890Gaz/cufargaza.htm)) No independent archival match establishing this photograph’s particular track, wagon, or carrier was found. Consequently, the identifica
Source: Elton Post Office Appointment — University of Nebraska–Lincoln, History Harvest
