Hello and welcome to this day in esoteric political history from Radiotopia.

My name is Jody Avergan.

This day, 1896, on October 1st, five men on horseback set out to deliver mail along 10 miles of

rugged terrain near the Blue Ridge Mountains in West Virginia. They would visit the countryside and farms near

places like Charlestown and Halltown and Uvilla. This was the beginning of what was known as

rural free delivery, a mail service from the US government for people

who lived outside of towns and cities, which at the time was a huge part of the US population

and would continue to be.

Rural free delivery connected farmers and

others in rural areas led to the further integration of the Postal Service

into American lives. It eventually kind of meant that there needed to be better

roads and other transportation

to rural parts of the country had a big effect there. It was also no surprise a

bit of a political and financial football a laudable goal but not without controversy and a lot of people backing it were really in it to line their own pockets, including you're about to meet quite the character folks, postmaster General John Wannamaker. but this is a really interesting moment.

It goes far beyond just those 10 miles along the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Here to discuss, as always, Nicole Hammer of Vanderbilt and Kelly Carter Jackson of Wellesley. Hello there. Hello Jody. Hey there.

I don't know if you did this but I went and looked up exactly what part. It's like near Harpers Ferry.

It's like kind of in that little Maryland West Virginia nexus. But anyway, so that's what we're talking about very beautiful very rural

But you know how did people get their mail before someone on horseback or then later on in car came to their farm and gave them their mail?

Oh, they would have to make a long trek to mean however, however far they were, could be a few miles, could be hundreds of miles,

to the biggest city and go to the postmaster located there to get their mail.

So people are not getting them

...