Minneapolis, Minnesota Owney tag

Owney was a scruffy mutt who became a regular fixture at the Albany, New York, post office in 1888. His owner was likely a postal clerk who let the dog walk him to work. Owney was attracted to the texture or scent of the mailbags and when his master moved away, Owney stayed with his new mail clerk friends. He soon began to follow mailbags, first onto mail wagons and then mail trains. Owney began to ride with the bags on Railway Mail Service (RMS) trains across the state . . . and then the country! The Railway Mail Service clerks adopted Owney as their unofficial mascot.

Postal workers and others began to mark Owney’s travels by placing tokens, tags, and medals on his collar. These items included baggage check and hotel room key tokens, dog licenses, and numerous items given to the dog by a variety of individuals and organizations.

Owney received this advertising token from Moses L. Cohen, a pawnbroker and jewelry dealer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As noted on the pocket-watch-shaped token, Cohen’s business was located at 6 Washington Avenue, North, and was established in 1879. Minneapolis was a bustling railway town during Owney’s lifetime. He visited the city a few times. Among the train lines that accessed the city were the St. Paul & Duluth, Minneapolis; the St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie; the Great Northern, Minneapolis & St. Louis; and the Northern Pacific railways.

Markings:
M.L. COHEN/ BROKER/ AND JEWELER/ WASH. AVE. MINNEAPOLIS EST 1879 (on front) JAS. BOSS AND KEYSTONE WATCH CASES HAVE THE NON PULL OUT BOW (RING) (on back)

Museum ID: 0.052985.432