December 23, 2003 A Christmas Look at Rural Mail Delivery

As I picked up my mail at my rural mailbox and visited the Post Office in Powassan during the pre Christmas rush I began to think how important the mail is, and has been, to those of us who live in the country. When I picked up a government gift catalogue at the post office recently I discovered a new book called Country Post: Rural Postal Service in Canada 1880 to 1945 and ordered it. A very nice woman took my order and I had it by mail in 2 days. (see cover).

Cover of the new book on Rural Postal Service.

The 210-page book with dozens of photographs covers all aspects of Rural Mail Delivery (RMD) including many things that are surprising. The book, for example, points out that in the early days the post office had to be open to the public on Statutory Holidays and sometimes on Sunday. The Postmasters formed the Canadian Postmasters Association (now the Canadian Postmaster & Assistants Association) to get better working conditions in 1902. The book was produced to recognize their centennial and their hard work over the last century.

As far back as the 1880's as townships were surveyed and people began to move in under the Free Land Grant Act of 1867 mail delivery became critical as a primary communication network. The new book describes the evolution of the community structure and how every "village, hamlet, cluster of farmsteads or shacks" related to a larger central place. For example Chisholm Township related primarily to Powassan for all of its service including mail.

The Powassan train station where mail was picked up and sent regularly.

Again, using Chisholm as an example, petitions to the government soon established small rural post offices where mail was delivered and handed out. One on the north end of the Township called Alderdale later moved to be in the general store on the new railway and the name came with it. The road there today is now called Alderdale Road. The general store in the small community around Pioneer Road and Boundary Road had a post office (Genesee) for local residents. There were post offices in the hamlets of Chiswick and Kells. There was also one on Wasing Road and one at Fossmill on the railway line in the south end later on. The railway played a key role in mail delivery with mail sorted on the way and dropped off on each run. In Powassan for years Eddie Hummel picked up the mail and sent mail on each train. In the winter he used a dog sled regularly.

The mail was picked up at post offices when you could get there until rural mail delivery came in the 1910's. Some post offices soon closed as the mail came from Powassan but Alderdale and Fossmill kept their post offices until 1972 and 1947 respectively. Chisholm is now on RR#1 and RR#4 Powassan, and the north end is served by RR#1 Astorville in East Ferris.

Typical 1906 Christmas Postcard

For decades the mails were used to buy catalogue goods, get newspapers and often to communicate within the community by letter or postcard rather than drive on some of the seasonal roads. This economic role is still very much in play throughout the north, especially as Christmas approaches.

Community Voices is delivered free every Friday to 18,500 households around North Bay serving some 50,000 people with news and information.

The Social Role

The new book profiles how important the postmaster became in the community as an advisor and confidant, financial facilitator and general informant. Many thrived in the role and in spite of long hours and poor pay loved the work. If the post office was in a general store the postmaster often owned the store and handled the banking for many residents on their regular visits for the mail. Visitors met neighbours and heard the latest news especially before party line telephones where many listened to pick up the latest.

Employees

The book shows how women were treated as second class citizens in those early days. In many cases they had to give up their jobs if they married and were seldom put in charge except temporarily.

Powassan Postmaster Pat Aro serving a customer.

The rural mail delivery courier fulfilled a social role with the people on his route. Most couriers also acted as messengers and deliverymen as a sideline along with other jobs to survive. Many received generous gifts at Christmas.

In spite of the poor pay many mailmen did the job for years. Fran Young of Powassan had RR#2 to Alsace and Commanda for 42 years and Earl Purdon did RR#4 for 45 years.

Authors of the new book interviewed 28 retired postmasters to bring their experiences into focus and provide their point of view.

In the conclusion of the book the authors nicely sum up the role of the Post Office when they say "Whether by weaving a postal communication network across the country, imposing a governmental presence, offering Canadians the opportunity to access new services and new merchandise, or creating a social and commercial site upon which the entire local populace converged, the Canadian postal service played a tangible role in the development of the country and the transformation of Canadian culture."

One certainly gains respect for our mail people reading the book. Our thanks to Pat Aro the Postmaster in Powassan and her staff and all the other Canada Post employees throughout the area who work so hard on our behalf. 

Copies of the book are available at 1-819-976-8387 or by email, and of course by mail.