Owney's Travels in the USA and Canada

Interactive Map

Click or tap the rectangle in the top, left corner of the map to view the legend. Select the pins on the map to see town/city information for the cities visited by Owney, in which he was given keepsakes now in the museum’s collection. The links in the descriptions will take you to the online records in the collection database.


Larger map

One of the most popular exhibits in the National Postal Museum is the story of Owney, the scruffy mutt who became the unofficial mascot of the Railway Mail Service in the late 19th century. Owney’s unusual life and wide-spread travels have inspired several children’s books. Elementary schools across the United States continue to use the story of Owney as a way to connect their students with those in other states by sending stuffed toy dogs from school to school through the mail accompanied by messages from students to one another.