Today it's hard to imagine the isolation of farm families in early America. Before the telephone, radio, television – and now the Internet – a farmer's link to the outside world was the mail and newspapers delivered to him at the nearest post office. Since farmers had to pick up their mail, this meant a trip to town, often involving a day's travel. A farmer might delay picking up his mail for days, weeks, or even months until the trip could be coupled with one for supplies, food, or equipment.
John Wanamaker of Pennsylvania was the first Postmaster General to advocate rural free delivery (RFD). In 1896 the first experimental rural delivery routes began in West Virginia, with carriers working out of post offices in Charlestown, Halltown, and Uvilla. Critics of the plan claimed it was impractical and too expensive to have postal carriers trudge over rutted roads, through forests and fields, trying to deliver mail in all kinds of weather.
Farmers, however, were delighted with the new service and the world it opened to them. After receiving free delivery for a few months, one observed that it would take away part of life to give it up. A Missouri farmer looked back on his life and calculated that, in 15 years, he had traveled 12,000 miles going to and from his post office to get the mail.
An unexpected benefit of RFD was the stimulation it provided for the development of rural roads and highways, as passable roads were necessary for efficient mail delivery. After hundreds of petitions for rural delivery were turned down by the Post Office due to poor road conditions, local governments began to improve and extend existing highways. Between 1897 and 1908, local governments spent an estimated $72 million on bridges, culverts, and other improvements – a lot of money in those days. The impact of RFD on the lives of millions of Americans was striking, and, in this respect, rural mail delivery is still a vital link between industrial and rural America.
This easy, three-part multicache requires you to find three rural mailboxes. The first mailbox (let’s call it A) is located at the latitude and longitude given at the top of this page. Note the address on this box, especially the last three numbers.
Mailbox B is located at: N37° 43.790', W90° 16.091'. Again, note the last three numbers on this box.
The cache is also in a mailbox, though it’s not an official box for mail. It is located at:
N37° 43.BBB', W90° 17.AAA',
with AAA being the numbers you recorded at mailbox A and BBB being the numbers you recorded at mailbox B.
You have permission to enter this private property for the purpose of finding the cache.
CHECKSUM: A+A+A+B+B+B = 10 (If your numbers don't add up to 10, you've found the wrong mailboxes!)