Portland, Oregon 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 token advertising Mitchell, Lewis & Staver manufacturing company’s Portland, Oregon, office. As the token indicates, the company produced agricultural implements, including a vehicle designated the “Mitchell Wagon,” pictured on the back of the token with the nickname “the old reliable.” There is no information to indicate when the dog received this tag.

Markings:
Literal: MICHELL LEWIS & STAVER CO / PORTLAND OR / MACHINERY & VEHICLES (on front) Literal: AGRICULTURAL / IMPLEMENTS / MITCHELL WAGON / THE OLD RELIABLE (on back) Figurative: picture of a wagon

Museum ID: 0.052985.367