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November 26, 2007

For the Public Good: Roads!

As many of us have just traveled and returned from our various Thanksgiving adventures, it might be a good time to give thanks for something seemingly obvious: the roads on which we traveled to get to our families and friends. If you were driving on certain federal highways last week, you may need to direct some thanks to the U.S. Postal Service.

The development of many early American forms of transportation was heavily subsidized by the postal service as they expanded their delivery routes to meet the growing needs of an ever expanding population. From 1790 to 1860 America’s population grew from 3.9 million to 31.4 million people. The Post Office department grew and expanded westward right alongside America's population. Post Offices multiplied at an amazing rate-- from 75 offices in 1790 to 24,498 offices in 1860, and states and territories began to petition Congress to expand the mileage of postal routes to accommodate all of the new mail. The federal government’s Post Office Department began deciding which routes deserved to be subsidized and which routes would not benefit the nation. A mail route could easily determine which areas would be settled and which areas would remain difficult to access. The Department made a conscious effort to intelligently support national development and to institute services that would benefit all residents of the country.

Furthermore, in a New York Times' article, "History on Every Mile, and Sometimes a Stone," author Arthur Bovino takes you on a drive down America’s first official mail route. The Old Boston Post Road has many historical artifacts along her length—most notably the small stone mile markers that were installed on the orders of Benjamin Franklin, America’s first Postmaster General. Bovino notes that, “the leisurely drive between New York City and Boston can turn the typical leaf peeper into a historian-cum-archaeologist” for a day.”

Now that you know the roads you travel on weren't put in place just to deliver you home for the holidays, the next time you voyage along our nation's roads for a trip, enjoy the ride and remember that it might be a good time to show some appreciation for the United States Postal Service. Perhaps--send them a letter.

(image from Mail Call!: The History of the U.S. Postal Service by Nancy O'Keefe Bolick)