The United States Post Office, for more than two centuries, has been central to holding together rural areas as communities.This is Mike Strong, in Hays, for HPPR. The book is “How the Post Office Created America” by Winifred Gallagher.
Welcome, this is Mary Scott remembering her childhood of anxiously awaiting the arrival of one of my favorite people, the mailman. Every summer, he was my connection to the outside world as I look forward to the arrival of letters from Grandma, a birthday card, or “Weekly Reader” (an old sort of newspaper for kids). I enjoyed looking at the different stamps, without realizing all the history involved.
This is Mike Strong, in Hays, for HPPR. The book is “How the Post Office Created America” by Winifred Gallagher. In the year 1831, French traveler Alexis de Tocqueville was following the US mail as it was transported by stagecoach to the most remote areas of the barely 50-year-old United States.
Have you heard words like “brain drain” and “Podunk” used to describe rural communities? Those of us who’ve chosen to remain in rural areas or small towns have always been offended by the stereotypes. “Rural by choice” is a more apt description if you ask me.