The Jackass Mail Stamp has been sold for this event for the past 47 years now, and literally thousands have been sent all over the world.  Every year they are redesigned so no two are the same.  There are only two known complete collections in existence, the very first stamp, Number 1, being the rarest.  Every issue is numbered according to its corresponding Jackass Mail Run year.  Hence number one corresponds to the first Mail Run, and the newest number 47 is this year’s stamp.

            This all began in when Porterville commemorated its centennial in 1961 with a year-long celebration.  The Jackass Mail Run, which originally was called The Stage to Springville, was organized to bridge the festivities going on all over the US with the Civil War Centennial, Porterville Centennial, and the Springville Rodeo.  The run became a yearly event from then on and was renamed the Jackass Mail Run.

            This mail run harkens back to the days of the California Gold Rush, when mail was carried to the gold camps in the Sierra foothills by pack trains of mules.  The town of Springville, originally called Daunt, was a typical foothill pioneer community.

            The promoters of the Jackass Mail subsequently printed and sold these stamps for four bits (fifty cents).  They are still sold for that price today.  So much for inflation!  The stamps are only available for a short period of time prior to the Mail Run.

            Collection boxes are established at local businesses in Porterville and Springville to collect all mails with a Jackass stamp.  On the morning of the run, the mails from all the boxes are cancelled with a special “Jackass” seal and locked into a strongbox and then put aboard a horse, or mule drawn wagon for the trek to Springville.

            The wagon, overseen by the Wagonmaster, teamsters, shotgun guards, and a motley crew of outriders, set out over the “old emigrant trail” for Springville.  About halfway there, the group stops for lunch, then proceeds ever on the lookout for bandits and desperados who may attempt to rob the mail before the destination is reached.

            I have participated in this event for about 17 years, and I have a collection of Jackass Mail stamps going back to the 1970’s when my father use to collect them.  They are probably not worth anything monetarily, but I take pride in knowing I have a piece of local history most outside this area have never heard of.