State Historical Society of Iowa

Western Union Messengers in Des Moines, Iowa, August 1918

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About 35 messengers with bicycles and a couple of motorcycles posed on the steps in the front of a brick building.
Courtesy of the State Historical Society of Iowa, Shearer & Johnson, August 1918

Description

This photograph shows the Western Union messenger team with bicycles and motorcycles in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1918. Western Union started out as a telegraph communications company with operations across the United States by 1861, and it added money transfers in the late 1800s. The "boy on his bicycle" became a household phrase, and was especially dreaded during World War II when the U.S. War Department sent casualty notifications via Western Union messenger. The population of Des Moines in 1920 was 126,468, and the population in 2010 was 203,433.

Source-Dependent Questions

  • Is Des Moines, Iowa, an urban area or a rural area? Use evidence from the map to support your answer.
  • What mode of transportation did these messengers use? Why was that a good fit in a place like Des Moines but not used in places like Elliott, Iowa?