National Museum of Transportation near Kirkwood in St. Louis County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Who Is Owney The Dog?
Owney, the 'unofficial' mascot of the United States Postal Service, was the first dog to travel around the world. During the late 1800's Owney traveled with mail carriers first on mail trucks, then steamships. While traveling around the world, Owney dropped a few bones at the Museum. See if you can find them during your train ride! Bone-voyage
Learn more about Owney in the Museum of Transportation Gift Shop.
In 2011, the United States Postal Service unveiled a commemorative Owney Postage Stamp.
Owney the 'unofficial mascot' of the US Postal Service traveled more than 140,000 miles.
Owney traveled to all 48 contiguous United States.
Erected by Museum of Transportation.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Communications • Roads & Vehicles • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Postal Mail and Philately series list.
Location. 38° 34.355′ N, 90° 27.809′ W. Marker is near Kirkwood, Missouri, in St. Louis County. It is in National Museum of Transportation. It can be reached from
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Greater St. Louis. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, in the Corn Belt, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: St. Joe Mining Corporation Ore Train #5441 (within shouting distance of this marker); St. Joe Minerals Corporation Shovel (within shouting distance of this marker); The National Museum of Transportation: Our History (within shouting distance of this marker); Museum of Transportation - A Layout of the Land (within shouting distance of this marker); Working on the Railroad: The Train Crew
Also see . . .
1. Owney, Mascot of the Railway Mail Service. Part of the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum's Mail by Rail exhibition focuses on Owney.
Owney and his tags from around the world: "Railway mail clerks considered the dog a good luck charm. At a time when train wrecks were all too common, no train Owney rode was ever in a wreck. The Railway mail clerks adopted Owney as their unofficial mascot, marking his travels by placing medals and tags on his collar. Each time Owney returned home to Albany, the clerks there saved the tags."(Submitted on September 27, 2026, by Trudi Jacobson of Slingerlands, New York.)
2. Owney the Railway Dog. This site has photos of Owney and an interactive map that allows you to follow his travels and see the tokens and tags that he was given on many of the stops he made. Owney would often
From item #1 on the map: "Owney started riding on mail carts like the ones in Image 3, attracted to the smell or texture of the mailbags. Eventually, he followed these mail bags onto mail trains, which would be loaded with dozens of bags at a time as seen in Image 4. This expanded Owney’s world beyond Albany and began what would become almost a decade of adventures. Once Owney began traveling with the mail, the Albany clerks fixed this metal plate to his collar so that he could be returned if he got lost. In 2011, the illustration of Owney on the United States Postal Service First-Class Forever stamp dedicated to him took inspiration from this badge (Image 5).(Submitted on September 27, 2026, by Trudi Jacobson of Slingerlands, New York.)
2011
5. Owney the postal dog
Credits. This page was last revised on September 28, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 27, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 349 times since then and 32 times this year. Last updated on September 27, 2026, by Trudi Jacobson of Slingerlands, New York. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 27, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 5. submitted on September 27, 2026.
