Newspaper Clipping of the Day

“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays this collie dog from the swift completion of…”

No, no, don’t interrupt me. I’m reciting that motto correctly. The following item from the “Morning Astorian” for November 19, 1885, explains why:

Dorsey is the suggestive name of a California mail carrier. He is a dog. His official wages are small and through the proper authorities he has made application to have them raised. At present he gets two beefsteaks a week. He wants his salary raised to seven steaks a week and mileage. His constituents have signed a petition to that effect, and the dog looks anxiously forward to the day when Postmaster-General Vilas shall grant his petition.

Before Dorsey was appointed regular mail carrier between Calico and Bismark, in San Bernardino county, his reputation was not the best. He is a black and white collie with sharp nose, bright, quick eyes and the usual shaggy coat. The way he came to be installed as a government employee was this: The postmaster at Calico had a brother in the mines at Bismark, to whom he wanted to send word one day. The place was three miles up the mountain, along a bare, stony road, burning with heat. It was a hot, toilsome tramp, and no one in the village offered to go. So the postmaster thought he would send Dorsey just to see how it would work. The letter was written and tied around the dog's neck, his head pointed up the Bismarck road, and he was told to "git out fur Bismark." He started, ran a few rods and stopped. But a shower of stones started him again, and that was the last seen of him in Calico that day.

The next day he returned from Bismark with an answering letter tied around his neck. He had been well treated at the mining camp, was fed well and petted on his return, and seemed very proud of his achievement. After this other letters were sent in the same way, and by-and-by the miners asked that all their mail be sent up by the dog route. There were more than he could carry, so a little mail bag with brass trimmings and the usual government lock was purchased and fitted to Dorsey's back. Now residents of San Bernardino county have grown to look upon the dog as a regular institution quite in the ordinary run of affairs.

"San Bernardino County Sun," May 31, 1957, via Newspapers.com

Dorsey knows when the stage that brings the mail is due, and on those occasions he sticks closely to the post-office. When the letters and papers have been sorted out, the postmaster says: "Dorsey, the mails are ready," and the dog stands soberly to have the bag strapped on. Then, with a sharp bark of farewell, he trots over the hills on a little trail he has worn himself. If he meets a stranger he makes a wide detour to avoid him, and when other dogs try to be friendly and get up a little fight with soft gloves. so to speak, he gravely declines and goes on his way. He will not run any risk of losing the mail. Arriving at Bismark he stops at six or seven of the principal houses in town and standing at the front door, barks until someone comes out. Only a few known friends are permitted by him to open the bag. Then at night the miners give him a big supper, and the next day he starts back for his office at Calico with letters bound for the post office.

Post Office Inspector T. F. Tracy, sent out by the government to inspect California mail facilities, reports the Dorsey dog route the most faithful and prompt in the state.

The “Dorsey dog route” continued until 1886, when the Bismark mine closed, and the collie was forced into retirement. It was said that poor Dorsey could not comprehend why his services were no longer required.

Dorsey remains a beloved figure in California history. In 1972, Kenny Rogers recorded a song about him, which is certainly an honor not granted to too many mail carriers.