You’ve heard it before, the Postal Service’s unofficial mail delivery motto — Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds —but what exactly does it mean? It means doing what it takes to get the mail delivered in the US … and some places are harder to deliver to than others. No matter what type of mail and shipping service you choose, the Postal Service moves mail using planes, trains, trucks, cars, boats, ferries, helicopters, subways, float planes, hovercraft, mules, bicycles and feet. Some of the more unusual US mail delivery routes include:
Mail is delivered to residents living on the Magnolia River in Alabama by boat. The mailboxes are located on docks — dock-to-dock delivery.
Mail is delivered by mule train to the Havasupai Indians at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Each mule carries about 130 pounds of mail, food, supplies, etc. down the 8-mile trail every day.
The 45-foot contract mail boat out of Detroit that delivers mail to passing ships on the Detroit River in Michigan. The JW Westcott has its own ZIP Code — 48222. For those in the area, we also provide a way for you to see delivery times for packages coming from anywhere in the country.
While much of Alaska’s mail is delivered by bush pilot, there are locations in the lower 48 that require that mode of delivery as well.
There are many islands off the coasts of the country that receive mail by ferry.
Every summer adventurous college students try out for a position on the Lake Geneva Mail Boat. Applicants must be able to ride on the boat, jump off onto the pier, put mail in and out of the mailbox and jump back on the boat – which never stops – without falling into the water. But it’s not just about the jump, personality counts, too! The mail boat delivers to about 60 lake homes. The original mail boat dates back to 1873 and was called the “Paper Boat” — for newspaper deliveries. In those days there was no other way to deliver mail, since there were no good roads. The trials started in 1990 and have been covered by media across the globe. Google “Lake Geneva Mail Jumpers” for photos.
The Postal Service has always gone to great lengths to get the mail home. It’s what we do.
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