Esperanto

In 1984, Vancouver hosted the 69th World Esperanto Congress. It was only the second Congress held in North America since 1915. This post provides a brief introduction to Esperanto and its annual Congresses showing souvenir mail from selected meetings including those held in North America.

Dr. Ludwig Zamenhof and Esperanto

Esperanto is a language created in the late 1870s and early 1880s by Dr. Ludwig Lazarus Zamenhof (1895-1917) born in Bialystok in the Russian Empire (now part of Poland). According to Zamenhof, Esperanto was created to foster harmony between people from different countries. With the publication of his first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro , in 1887, Zamenhof saw the number of speakers grow rapidly over the next few decades.




Philatelic Commemoration of Zamenhof

In 1927, the USSR issued a postage stamp featuring a vignette of Dr. Zamenhof to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the creation of Esperanto. Since then, several countries have celebrated Esperanto by issuing postage stamps or providing special cancellations to mark Esperanto events.

USSR 1927




Zamenhoff vignette


USA 1933

On December 15, 1933, the Brooklyn Esperanto Society prepared a souvenir cover to commemorate the birthday of Dr. Zamenhof.


Brooklyn, December 15, 1933





World Esperanto Congresses

In 1905 , the first World Congress of Esperranto was held in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France, Since then Congresses have been held in different countries yearly, except during the two World Wars.
Examples of souvenir covers and cards from selected conventions are shown below.


1908 Dreden




Dresden, August 10, 1908


1936 Vienna


Vienna, August 11, 1936




1955 Bologna


Bologna, August 2, 1955




1969 Helsinki


Helsinki, August 2, 1969




North American World Congresses

The World Congress has only been held twice in North America since 1915, Portland in 1972 and Vancouver in 1984.

1972 Portland


Portland, August 1, 1972







1984 Vancouver

The post card below was mailed from Vancouver during the1984 World Congress. The card had been prepared for the 1967 Congress which was to be held in Tel Aviv but was moved to Rotterdam. (See Below)


Vancouver, July 22, 1984 (Machine and Roller cancel)
[The author has not seen a Vancouver Congress handstamp]


Vancouver Congress Seal


1967 World Congress Tel Aviv

The post card used in the 1984 mailing had been prepared for the 52nd Congress which was to be held in Tel Aviv in 1967. The Congress could not be held in Israel that year because of the Yom Kipper war and was moved to Rotterdam. Israel had prepared and printed a Zamenhof stamp for the occasion, but the stamp was never issued.
52nd World Congress Tel Aviv Logo
(1967 Congress moved to Rotterdam)


1975 Canadian Esperanto Congress

In 1975, the Calgary Post Office used a slogan cancellation to promote the Canadian Esperanto Congress. This is Canada's only Esperanto slogan.

Calgary, June 16, 1975

SPEAK PARLEZ
ESPERANTO
KANADA KONGRESSO
28 - JUNIO - 30

Fort Michener, NWT
Yellowknife 1973



In January, 1973, Balls were held at the Yellowknife Elk's Hall to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the RCMP. The Hall was converted into a replica of an old RCMP fort and dubbed "Fort Michener" in honour of Governor General Roland Michener who attended the festivities. The Hall was the site of the "Fort Michener" post office which was opened on January 19, 1973 and closed the following day. The post office was supplied with a circular date stamp.



Fort Michener, N.W.T., January 20, 1973

Axel Heiberg Expedition



The McGill Arctic Research Station, one of the longest-operating seasonal field research facilities in the high Arctic, was established in 1960 on Axel Heiberg Island.

Axel Heiberg Island (red)


1961 Expedition
In 1961, 18 researchers occupied the station for 4 months. A mapping program was the highlight of the early phase of the project.





Axel Heiberg Expedition post card
Resolute Bay to Zurich, June 24, 1961



Today, the station consists of a small research hut, a cook house and 2 temporary structures. Current research activities include glaciology, climate change, permafrost hydrology, geology, geomorphology, limnology, planetary analogues and microbiology.


About Axel Heiberg Island

Axel Heiberg Island was one of three Arctic islands discovered by explorer Otto Sverdrup during his Norwegian Polar Expedition of 1898-1902. The island was named after the financial director of Rignes brewery, one of the Expedition sponsors. Sverdrup claimed all three islands he discovered for Norway, setting off a sovereignty dispute with Canada, which was not settled until 1930 when Norway ceded its claim.

In 2004, Canada, Greenland and Norway issued a joint stamp issue to commemorate Sverdup's Arctic explorations.





Otto Sverdrup


Fossil Trees

Axel Heiberg Island is known for its unusual fossil forests. During the Eocene period, 45 million years ago, the Axel Heiberg forest was a high latitude wetland forest. The forests were well adapted to the six months of darkness and six months of light. Many of the trees were deciduous.


Dr. A. Hope Jahren (c.2002) holding a fossil metasequoia.

Courtesy Flight Covers

Letters and other items flown by pilots as a favour from remote locations to the nearest post office is called "Courtesy" mail. This post shows courtesy mail from British Columbia and Ontario. (The B.C. Airlines cover was the subject of an earlier post)


B.C. Airlines

B.C. Airlines was founded by Bill Sylvester of Vancouver. B.C. Airlines had bases in Vancouver, Ganges, Alert Bay, and Campbell River.

The Republic "SeaBee" was one of the planes in the B.C. Air Lines fleet. Described by one pilot as looking like "a combination of an egg and a toothpick".



From Alliford Bay, Queen Charlotte Islands, this letter was carried courtesy of B.C. Air Lines. The letter entered the postal system at Vancouver and was cancelled on December 1, 1954.





Rusty Myers Flying Service : Fort Frances, Ontario

Rusty Myers Flying Service based at Fort Frances, Ontario, has provided flying services to Northwestern Ontario since 1941.



The post card below was flown from a fishing camp to Fort Frances by Rusty Myers Flying Service.




Fort Frances to Des Plaines, Ill., June 29, 1963

FLOWN TO NEAREST POST OFFICE
COURTESY
RUSTY MYERS FLYING SERVICE
FORT FRANCES, ONTARIO
CANADA

Trans-Pacific Travel : 1936
Canadian Pacific Steamship
and Pan American Clipper

In 1936, Mr. Hy.C. Holloway of Honolulu, Hawaii, embarked on a steamship voyage from Hawaii to North America on board a Canadian Pacific steamship. Upon the ship's arrival in Seattle, a letter written by Mr. Holloway and addressed to Mrs. Marie Holloway in Hawaii entered the U.S. postal stream.. The letter was franked with Canadian stamps and correctly accepted by the Seattle post office as "Paquebot" mail. The letter was forwarded to Hawaii "Via Clipper Mail".


Seattle to Honolulu, Hawaii, September 3, 1936
50 cents paying the double weight step Clipper air mail rate




Mr. Holloway's return address

1. Steamship to Seattle (Mr. Holloway)



Postal historians with access to shipping tables would be able to identify the Canadian Pacific ship on which Mr. Holloway sailed. The ship would have been one of the "Empresses" which provided trans-Pacific service. The Empress of Japan is shown in the photograph below:


Empress of Japan leaving Vancouver – 1933


2. Air Mail : Seattle to Hawaii (Mr. Holloway's Letter)

a) Paquebot Mail

The Seattle post office accepted ship mail franked with the stamps of the ship's country of origin. The paquebot cancellation would have alerted transit and receiving offices that the letter was properly franked.


Seattle Paquebot marking

b) Clipper Mail

The endorsement on Mr. Holloway's envelope reads "Via Clipper Mail"


50 cents paying the 1 ounce letter rate

Pan American Airways Clipper "Flying Boats" provided air mail service for the 2390 mile flight from San Fransisco to Hawaii.


Hawaii Clipper

1977 Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee


The Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II marked the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth's accession to the throne. It was celebrated throughout the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth throughout 1977. Queen Elizabeth embarked on several tours during the Jubilee Year including a visit to Canada from October 14 to October 19, 1977.


Canada Silver Jubilee Stamp

On February 4, 1977, Canada Post issued a 25 cent commemorative to celebrate the Silver Jubilee.




Canada Post's Press Release had this description of the stamp:

The stamp commemorating the 25th anniversary of Her Majesty's accession to the throne features a photographic portrait study of the Queen by the British photographer Peter Grugeon. The photograph is reproduced with the permission of Camera Press, London, England. In this formal portrait, Queen Elizabeth wears a mauve satin dress embroidered with pearls and rhinestones, the Garter sash and star with Family Orders, and a diamond and pearl tiara, necklace and earrings. This stamp introduces a new typeface on Canadian stamps Cartier - developed by the late Carl Dair and modified in some details to compensate for the effects of miniaturization on postage stamps. The layout for the stamp was created by Toronto designer Ken Rodmell. A special feature of this stamp, seen for the first time on a Canadian issue, is foil stamping. The denomination "25" has been silver stamped to draw attention to its double significance for this issue celebrating Her Majesty's Silver Jubilee.

First Day Covers


NR Covers





Grover

 


The Royal Commonwealth Society





 

The Westminster Collectors Society




Fleetwood

SCS

Usages

Agincourt to Montreal, February 11, 1977
10 cents letter rate + 75 cents registration fee

International Registration

 

Jubilee Year Royal Visit to Canada

The Queen and Prince Philip visited Ottawa from October 14 to 19, 1977.

Arrival


Ottawa, October 14, 1977


Opening of Parliament





Ottawa, October 18, 1977