WWII Foreign Airmail Route Printing Block, 1940

This block was used for printing the cachets on covers (envelopes) mailed on the first flight of the air route. Private contractors, in this case Pacific Alaska Airways (a subsidiary of Pan American) were hired by the U.S. Post Office to bring mail across foreign borders. "FAM-20" stood for the Foreign Airmail route that included Seattle, Ketchikan and Juneau.

Ketchikan Museums, KM 2004.2.19.1