Overland Mail Via Los Angeles, on 10c Green on Buff U18 Entire to Stockton

Postmarked “Mason N.H. Sept 5, 1859” with manuscript routing “Overland via Los Angeles” and addressed to the iconic Wells, Fargo & Co. expressman, "Chips" (Pilsbury Hodgkins) in Stockton, California. Manuscript cancel on indicia; cover shows some staining but otherwise an attractive cover.

Pilsbury “Chips” Hodgkins was a Maine-born ship carpenter turned Gold Rush expressman. Arriving in San Francisco in 1849, he mined in Tuolumne County.
Chips worked for several express companies, including Reynolds’ Express, before becoming a longtime Wells Fargo & Co expressman. From 1857 to 1869 served as Wells, Fargo’s messenger on the Stockton–San Francisco route. Over his career, Chips reportedly carried millions in gold.