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Dubuque, Iowa Post Office Celebrates 150 Years of Service 1833-1983DU BUQU E, IOWA POST OFFICE CELEBRATES 150 YEARS OF SERVICE 1833-1983 Len Kruse R t3 87t 4 2 K R J ocik� ARCHIVES pill QckyvApo— _r_kj4kjw-t lyt)-44_,))ikJelk jk-r —1y0LALt__- .5 13 DUBUQUE, IOWA POST OFFI( CELEBRATES 150 YEARS OF SERVICE 1833-1983 Len Kruse R 383.42 KRU Iowa Books 19 432- Kruse, I -Pr'. Dubuque, Iowa celebrates 15 DUBUQUE PUBLIC LIBRARY ,ost office years of DATE DUE 45230 Printed in USA 12, or 8312 loRvA BooKS N'r m MN $11 R11 P11 111 �n 111,1 ■A �u Dedicated to my wife, Dorothy Athough historical facts are sometimes exaggerated, the dates and events in this story are true and correct as the author believes. Considerable time and expense was expended in researching and de- veloping this historical record. It is offered in good faith to preserve evidence of the growth and advancement of the Dubuque Postal Service which might otherwise be destroyed or forgotten. Symbol of Old Post Office Department HAPPY ANNIVERSARY DUBUQUE, IOWA POST OFFICE! ,cp.TES POSTq (J Y 0 W F- Z .mrs:xmoran US. MAIL * imen==;12=mi rn iJ rn ******ire Symbol of Ur.S. Postal Service Handstamp cancellation in 1833 DUBUOUE. IOWA 50" ANNIVERSARY 1933 -19B3 Special Sesquicentennial cancellation in 1983 May 27, 1983 commemorates 150 years of service. Postal service in Dubuque was the first in the State of Iowa. The circular DUBUQUE MINES Mic. T. handstamp was officially used until July 4, 1836, when the town's name was changed from Dubuque's Mines to Dubuque (and the territory from Michigan to Wisconsin). On July 4, 1838, this region became Iowa territory. The emblems are the PONY EXPRESS, which was used by the old Post Office Department from 1837 to 1971, and the EAGLE. The latter was started at the time the United States Postal Service, a nonprofit independent entity of the government, was created by Congress in the Postal Reorgnization Act of 1971. The 1983 cancellation is the special Sesquicentennial one authorized for use on all Dubuque's outgoing machine -cancelled mail for a six-month period starting May 27, 1983. The post office anticipates that there will be seven million can- cellations during the time of its use. DUBUQUE, IOWA POST OFFICE CELEBRATES 150 YEARS OF SERVICE 1833-1983 This year, 1983, the Dubuque post office celebrates its 150th birthday, together with the city. In commemoration of its many years of service to the community, the post office will have a special Sesquicentennial cancellation on all outgoing mail for six months beginning May 27, 1983. When you see a white postal jeep in your area, you know your mail will be delivered to your mailbox by a uniformed person. This was not always the case. The Dubuque postal service dates from 1833, when the first post office in the State of Iowa was established here in Dubuque, then called Dubuque's Mines, on May 27. Postal service was instituted in the American colonies back in 1691 by King William III, who granted the letters patent to Thomas Neale. He appointed Andrew Hamilton as the first postmaster of our country in 1692; by 1711 authority was granted to establish one post office in each colony. In 1792 Congress decided that management of the posts was the business of the Federal government. Before 1833 most of the country in and around Dubuque's Mines was in the possession of the Indians and about 50 whites. Because those living in the territory were considered trespassers, mail service was not established. Letters and papers were brought into the area by chance travelers. The nearest white settlement, located six miles east of the Mississippi River, was that of George W. Jones at Sinsinnewa. Jones traded with the Indians occupying Dubuque's Mines. 1 In 1833 reservation west of the Mississippi officially opened and permanent settlement began in the Iowa region, which was part of the Territory of Michigan for governmental purposes. On May 27, 1833, Dubuque was established as a post office and the postmark showed it as Dubuque's Mines in Michigan Territory. The first regular mail was brought to Dubuque's Mines about once a week from Galena by George Ord Karrick. Milo H. Prentice, Dubuque's first postmaster, kept a post office in his store between 3rd and 4th on Main, with a small desk at one counter. The few letters were stored in his hat or a tea box. Because postage stamps had not been introduced, the letters were handstamped. The first roads followed the old Indian trails and mail was not received often. Postage was set at 25 cents for a letter, which could take months coming from New York; it was car- ried on horseback or in open stage wagons. Life was not easy for the early settlers. When Dubuque celebrated its 50th birthday in 1883, the local "Dubuque Herald" quoted Mrs. Avis P. Stanley, daughter of Milo H. Prentice, as saying: "I remember the privations and hardships of pioneer life, the fear and dread of my sister and myself of the Indians, who would come to the village about 500 strong decked with paint and feathers. Their horrid whoops still linger in my ears." By 1834 a day school had been established, then a Sunday School and church, but the corporate limits of Dubuque's Mines totaled only one square mile. In 1836 Congress created the Territory of Wisconsin. It included Iowa, and Dubuque's Mines name was changed to Dubuque. - 2 A mail carrier of 150 years ago - 1833 General Jones of Dubuque applied for and secured a steamboat mail route from St. Louis to Dubuque in 1836. This route, in connection with mail by boat from Pittsburgh to St. Louis, opened the first regular mail route between Dubuque and the east. Before this, sometimes in the spring, mail would be six months enroute from the east, be lost_in.transit, or be so badly worn that addresses on letters or newspapers were illegible. When General Jones made the application for a "Fast Mail" up the Mississippi, Dubuque was just three years old. Ansel Briggs of Andrew, Iowa, contracted with the government to carry mail by horseback from 1836 to 1846 to the small towns along the Old Military Road from:Davenport to Dubuque and return. He later became Iowa"s first governor (1846-1850). The National Archives' Registers of Iowa Mail Routes for 1839-1842 indicate that Briggs had the following contracts: #2962 (Dubuque to West Liberty), #2963 (Dubuque to Stephenson, Illinois through Davenport), and #2964 (Davenport to Rochester). In 1841 he still maintained ownership of his mail routes but subcontracted them. Dubuque was growing, incoming mail was increasing to three times a week, and John King, editor of the "DuBuque Visitor," the town's first newspaper, became postmaster in 1837. He moved the office to a frame building located at the southwest corner of 7th and Iowa, where it shared offices with the newspaper. This post office site was later occupied by Connolly Carriage Works, so the post office moved to the Emerson & Shield building located at 4th and Main. The name of the building was changed to the Antheneum and later to the Opera House (the present Five Flags Theatre). - 3 - A post office mail route was established between Cassville and Dubuque via Peru and Durango in 1837. It was a route of great im- portance to citizens residing on the river, since they had had irregular mail service for some time. In 1838 Congress passed a law declaring all railroads as post routes. In July of that year the territory of Iowa was separated from Wisconsin, and under a special charter, Dubuque became a city, population 1500. Two years later Dubuque became part of Dubuque County. The second mail route in the state was established when David Montague and John E. Goodenow succeeded in getting the stage line and mail route established from Dubuque down to Davenport, via LaMotte, Andrew, and Maquoketa. In 1847 the first adhesive postage stamps were introduced on a national level, as was prepayment of postage. William H. Robbins in 1849 assumed the postmastership, and moved the office to the old Globe building located at the northeast corner of Main and 5th. By now Dubuque's corporate limits were extended beyond the one -mile limit, and soon the post office was located on the north side of 6th between Main and Locust. By 1855, letters could be carried 3,000,miles for three cents and additional miles for ten cents. Dubuque was the only distributing office west of Chicago and north of St. Louis. Seven clerks were em- ployed in the Dubuque office, and mail multiplied under Postmaster Charles Corkery. -4 - 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 POST -OFFICE AND ODD FELLOW' HALL) DUBUQUE. Located at 8th & Bluff St. (1856-1859) During the period of inflation that preceded the Panic of 1857, mail increased to great proportions. Efforts were pushed to secure more postal accommodations from the government, and through the in- fluence of General, now Senator, Jones, Congress appropriated $26,000 for grounds and materials for a new Custom House and Post Office. In 1856 the post office was located in the newly remodeled Odd Fellows Hall at 8th and Bluff. In the basement there was a "sleeping room" for the convenience of the clerks. In this room there also was the tube chute that led from the entrance door, through which all deposited letters passed. The need for a permanent building became more and more apparent. Whispers of a possible site at 7th and Iowa caused land values to sky- rocket. Dubuque was changing as were its property values. Land that the government sold in 1840 for $5.20 was bought back, 17 years later, for nearly four thousand times the original amount. Meanwhile, the office had been in the Odd Fellows building only two months when tragedy struck. The building collapsed because of heavy snows on the roof; postal clerks escaped but there were no mail deliveries for many days. Total damage was estimated to be $17,000, with damage to the post office at least $600; however, the building was to be rebuilt. A site was finally purchased in 1857 at 9th and Locust (present site of Northwestern Bell Telephone Co.). In 1858 the contract for the erection of the new building was let to Bostatter & Owens for $88,000. During construction the foundations sank, and a government inspector in- sisted they be raised and replaced on more substantial footing. The con- tractor gave up his work and the bid had to be re -let. No new bids were received. Time passed and the government finally started to complete the building in 1864. Twenty local men worked on the project. 5 Must be expert riders, willing to risk death daily. Orphans pre- (erred. Wages $25.00 per week Pony Express (1860-1862) 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 111 1111 11 111 111 11 11 1111 1 Overland stagecoach in the mid-1800's ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■1 M 1 In 1859 Congress argued over a bill to abolish the Post Office Committee and to turn the mail over to private enterprise, but the bill did not pass. A little more than two years after the Odd Fellows building col- lapsed, there was a disastrous fire --the post office, People's Theatre, Masonic Lodge, U.S. Land Office, and a grocery store burned. Some letters and papers were saved and moved to the Town Clock building on Main be- tween 8th and 9th. The year was 1859. Later they were moved to James Kelly's bookstore and newsstand at the southwest corner of 8th and Main to await completion of the new and permanent post office. A colorful era in postal history was dominated by the Pony Express. It was organized by three American freighting and stage pioneers in 1860 with operations beginning between St Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California. The organizers knew it would be a financial burden, but they went ahead and advertised for riders. A typical ad: WANTED: Young, skinny, wiry fellows not over 18; must be expert riders, willing to risk death daily; orphans preferred; wages $25 per week. Western mustangs, able to outrun Indian ponies, carried the riders through indescribable wilderness, hostile Indians, cold, hunger, and weariness to get the mail through. Only a year and a half later, the Pony Express galloped into the pages of history to be replaced by the overland stage coach and, a few years later, the railroads. A vital means of transporting and sorting the mail enroute, called the Railway Post Office (RP0, came into being in 1862. It brought mail service to every community that could be reached by rail. Wooden mail cars usually were placed between the coal tender and steel baggage car, and frequently mail cars were involved in wrecks causing injury and sometimes death to postal clerks. 6 111 111 UI 111 111 111 11 [II 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 The railway post office (RPO) was born in 1862. Clerks sorted mail en route, bringing mail service to every community that could be reached by rail. ■ ■ ■ r s ■ r ■ ■ ■ ■ M N It seems significant that in 1863 Congress approved one of the most important postal laws ever enacted, creating free city delivery and doing away with the cumbersome "zone" postage system, at the very time that the Civil War was going badly. The program went into effect the day that the Battle of Gettysburg began. Free city delivery was an instantaneous success, and postal revenues surged at the local as well as at the national level. A contract was let, also in 1861 for mail delivery between Dubuque and Davenport by boat, with the steamer "James Menks" arriving and de- parting three times a week and the "Bill Henderson" on alternate days. There was no boat on Sundays. Late in 1864 postal money order service was established. Dubuque's new permanent post office at 9th and Locust was finally completed in 1866, eight years after it was started, at a total cost of $179,000.. The building was very plain with no decorative work, and was built of sturdy fine Nauvoo limestone from the famous Mormon city. The post office occupied the ground floor with Postmaster Edward C. David in charge. Winds of reform started to blow across the country. President Grant made an attempt to institute some kind of Civil Service program during his administration, but was unsuccessful. New and important arrangements for two mailings a day to leave Dubuque for all points west were made in 1868. - 7 If '1 11 II pl III 111 III 111 IQ III Ifl 111 II II First permanent post office 9th & Locust St. - 1866 In 1873, with the new system of free delivery of letters in Du- buaue, Frank W. Dyer, George A. Hoerner, and Moses H. Martin started as the city's first letter carriers. All were natives of Dubuque with con- siderable postal experience, and each was to receive annual wages of $600. Limits of delivery were established and posted. Mail matter was distributed so people could give up their post office boxes if they wished. Citizens were asked to use street names and numbers in addresses on envelopes. Carrier service was not easy in those early years. Snow, rain, and unbearable temperatures did not excuse the carriers from their ap- pointed rounds. Starting from home at dawn and not returning until late at night was a full day's work. Frequently they carried heated bricks and irons to keep warm, and sometimes high winds or high water made it necessary they take a long way around. Before good roads and paved streets. two -wheel pushcarts often were used. Carriers would take wooden sticks to knock the mud from between the wheel spokes to lighten their load. Mail carriers were expected to be sympathetic, give advice on business and legal matters, help find lost children, put out fires, and just help out in any emergency. Soon letter boxes were placed on city lampposts. They were made of heavy steel and painted green.. Letter carriers appeared in government uni- form --grey frock coat, pants with black stripe; and grey cap. Postal clerks entering the service received $400 annually and carriers $600. There was no such thing as an 8-hour day. Even retailers were open until 9 p.m., and merchants eagerly waited for the mailman's visit. Postcards first came into use the latter part of 1873. 8 111 NI 111 III 11 IIl �1 AI Dubuque post office after extension was added in 1900 Old Dobbin helped deliver mail - 1905 Until 1883 when the Civil Service bill was passed by the 47th Congress, the appointment of clerks and carriers was ender the so-called Spoils System. When a new postmaster came into position, he could re- move any people he desired and replace them with his friends. Civil Service opened equal opportunity. During the next decade, the Dubuque post office showed a 50 percent gain in revenue. A motor -driven stamp cancelling machine was installed. Mail was hauled to -and -from four railroad depots (Illinois Central; Chicago Great Western; Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul; and Chicago, Burlington & Quincy) by a contractor who owned a livery stable, team and wagon. It usually was not a dependable arrangement for he often missed the train. Dubuque now ranked third in postal revenue in the state. Near the turn of the century, the Custom House and Post Office building's extension was added on the north side at a cost of $100,000. The construction was planned and superintended by a full-blooded Tono- wanda Indian chief, Ely S. Park. Mail routes were added to serve residents in Asbury, Ballyclough, Key West, Lore, and Sageville. The Key City Gas Company was awarded the contract to light the office for a year at $648 because gas was cheaper than electricity. Sunday proved to be the day for people to assemble at the post office to call for their mail and discuss the events of the week --the place to display the newest gown or hat,. Carriers reported to work at 6:30 a.m., distributed the mail, and gave it to those who called for it between 8 and 10 a.m. They got into the spirit of the occasion, too, and dressed up in their Sunday best. Some even sported boutonnieres. N Dubuque's first .rural mail carrier William Boleyn - 1901 Rural free delivery 1903 Rural Free Delivery - 1915 William Boleyn was Dubuque's first rural carrier. He served the areas of Sherrill, Balltown, and Specht's Ferry. He received $40 a month and furnished his own carriage, sleigh, or wagon and horses. The drifted roads in winter and the spring mud provided him with problems, but his team of wild horses proved to be bigger problems. They were al- ways running away. They finally, however, got used to the mail stops. Until 1901 when Boleyn served the area, the rural family's link with the outside world was in infrequent journey to the post office. No wonder rural mail service developed an enthusiastic following right away! In 1904 the souvenir postcard fad developed and hundreds of cards came through the Dubuque post office every week` There was no objection as long as the cards were kept within the bounds of propriety but in- decent cards, especially foreign ones, appeared more and more frequently. It was hoped by the post office authorities that such cards would be voluntarily withdrawn from the mailstream, but authorities had to keep on the lookout for any flagrant cases upon which to base criminal pro- ceedings. A few years later, in 1909, postal stations, where people could buy stamps and mail letters, were established at nine different locations throughout the city: Hartig Drug Store, Falkenheiners Drug, Ragatz Drug, Leik Drug, Haas Drug, 2nd and Main, 163 West Locust, 20 Holly Street, and 290 Eagle Point Avenue. Sunday closing of the post office began March 29, 1911. Only General Delivery mail could be picked up between the hours of 9 and 10 a.m. This regulation was adopted to allow postal workers a day off. - 10 - Parcel Post Truck - 1916 Parcel Post Truck - 1916 Street collection in early 1920's ,note solid rubber tires' Street Collection in Late 1920's 0n July 20, 1912, the first experimental airmail flight in Iowa was made from Dubuque's Nutwood Park (now Wickes Lumber Co.) by Lincoln Beachy, a daredevil of his time, in a flimsy Curtis byplane. Aviator Beachy carried a bag of U.S.. mail, collected by arrangement at a special post office booth installed in the park, to 33rd and Jackson. There he dropped it from the plane to a mail messenger waiting to take it to the post office. Soon parcel post delivery was started in downtown Dubuque with two - wheel pushcarts, to be followed a few years later by parcel post truck delivery. In 1916 war with Germany threatened, the cost of living went up, and the dollar depreciated, but the post office took on new dimensions. These included selling Liberty Bonds, registering enemy aliens, handling free mail matter, and recruiting men for the Armed Forces. The mail volume kept increasing, more people were employed, and more room was needed. In 1922 the Dubuque Chamber of Commerce told the government of Dubuque's urgent need for a post office building exclusive of other government functions. A bill asking for an appropriation of $500,000 was introduced in 1924, but President Coolidge turned a deaf ear. The so-called Merit and Demerit system was strong in the post office during 1925 and thereafter. Under the system; clerks and carriers re- ceived merits whenever they achieved improvement in the service and were model workers; demerits were handed out for errors made. Appearance and dress counted. Too many demerits, therefore low report marks, resulted in disciplinary action --time off with no pay. This was the post office's effort to upgrade the service. Ie. v J� ie ♦ W c? �; ... a __ sae . `NZ\ %tom TA 111111111111M�...��1; '17." ,fir: . el. ' i&j' issenvj'w,.s; Oaf `s��� 'arcel •ost truck - • ' By this time private contractors hauled mail to -and -from the 22 trains arriving and departing every 24 hours. Four postal trucks were used regularly for parcel post, and two motorcycles were utilized for special delivery and collections. The motorcycles were army surplus and required constant repair. A visitor to the interior of the post office during the summer of 1926 might have wondered about the brown lunch bags hanging by string from overhead pipes. Upon query, the person would learn that they were strung up there to avoid the millions of tiny red ants that infested the post office. Late in 1929 the great depression era started --factories closed, unemployment lines grew, wages and prices plummeted, and postal workers thanked God for the security of a Civil Service position. In 1931 the government finally authorized bids to be taken for a site for the new post office building. A year later the 6th and Locust property was purchased. The cost was $165,000, and the land included the J. J. Nagle and Mrs. W. J. Brown residences on Bluff and the YWCA and a small part of the Bradley & McClay property on Locust. The general con- tract for construction was awarded to Chiabai & Gariup of Gary, Indiana, for $331,000. Anthony F. Schrup, lifelong Dubuquer and city pioneer in automobiles, was appointed postmaster in January, 1934. The new Federal building was finally completed at a cost of $513,000, with the first official business transacted on March 3 of that year. The beautiful new post office (present building) was faced with Bed- ford stone, with its main entrance across from Washington Park Square. Lobby walls were paneled with slabs of American walnut and the floor originally was marble. It was an impressive improvement over the old 9th and Locust building. -12 - ":")....0 „ • • , „ • „ ' ' • ,„ 4) V) 0 office, completed in 1934, at 6th ..■■� ■111i iIIII 1111111f w 1111110 111111, FORD 1931 MAIL TRUCK FOR U.S. PO51 OFFICE 1931 PORI A scene inside the post office during Christmas season - 1936 In August 1937 large murals were painted on the east and west walls of the main entrance. One, entitled "Early Settlers of Dubuque," shows the former high bridge arching Julien Dubuque's grave, an Indian village, the Shot Tower, a lead mine, a farm, and a prairie schooner. It was painted by artist Bertrand Adams of Webster City. The other was done by William E. L. Bunn of Muscatine and is entitled "Dubuque"; the boat was the third in a line of Mississippi steamboats named DUBUQUE, and was burned in 1872. World War II increased post office responsibilities, mail volume skyrocketed, and many postal workers went off to service during the early 1940's. Many communities were not scheduled stops for mail train service. Hence, sacks of mail were dropped off while the train was at full speed. Mail was also taken up "on the fly" by means of a crane and catcher. In 1950 regularly scheduled airmail service was inaugurated in Dubuque by Mid -Continent Airlines. Its Douglas DC-3, enroute from Rockford to Waterloo, landed at Dubuque. In May of that year, mail delivery to residential areas was reduced to one each day instead of two, and businesses received two deliveries instead of three, and only one on Saturday. The first trip of the Highway Post Office, which was a buslike vehicle equipped for sorting and distributing mail enroute from Madison to Dubuque, took place in 1952. Curtailment of passenger train service, which had carried mail cars, prompted the establishment of the HPO, as it was called. - 13 - 0 c 0 0 • c •r, 0 0 U Interior of Railway Mail Car - 1942 ••„, • •"," 4:1P-CoNT1litNT * * * a '42:7;i:Vs • Regular airmail service began in Dubuque in 1950 The highway post office (HPO, p'ronounced "hypo") Started in 1952 in Dubuque Dubuque letter carriers in 1956 began delivery with golf -like caddy carts to speed up delivery. These aluminum carts were collapsible, enabling carriers to get on and off city buses easily enroute to -and - from their walking routes. Mail -less Saturday occurred on April 13, 1957, for the first and only time. Congress had failed to provide sufficient funds for the postal service. By the following Saturday, however, it was business as usual, since Congress hurriedly made additional monies available. In 1961 the Dubuque post office was officially designated a Manage- ment Sectional Center, consisting of 81 offices throughout northeastern Iowa. Charles J. Murphy, the present postmaster, was appointed by Presi- dent John F. Kennedy in 1963. Zip (the Zone Improvement Plan) was initiated in Dubuque during this same year. The year 1969 saw the Sectional Center Postal Annex open in the old renovated Farley & Loetscher building (now the Kirby building) at 750 White Street for mail processing operations. In 1970 Dubuque letter carriers were "motorized" with red, white and blue postal jeeps. Mail- gram, a combination letter -telegram was also introduced. A new organization, which is an independent establishment of the, government, the United States Postal Service, was formed in 1971 to meet the changing needs of our growing society. Stamps by Mail began in 1972, the laast HPO rolled in 1974, and the Railway Post Office made its last run. Things were changing. As Dubuque grew, so did its Postal service. Revenues of $33,000 in 1879 grew to nearly $10,000,000 by 1983. Postage increased, too; a 2-cent letter of 1885 now costs 20 cents. - 14 - Author delivering mail (mid 1950's) Despite all the dramatic changes, the nostalgic aura of the post office remains much the same. It has been and will continue to be an integral part of every Dubuquer's life. Perhaps the inscription on the old Washington, D.C. post office best summarizes what the postal service really means: Messenger of Sympathy and Love Servant of Parted Friends Consoler of the Lonely Bond of the Scattered Family Enlarger of the Common Life Carrier of News and Knowledge Instrument of Trade and Industry Promotor of Mutual Acquaintance Of Peace and Goodwill Among Men and Nations *** - 15 - Some interesting statistics.... Postmasters who served Dubuque: Milo H. Prentice Guy B. Morrison John King William H. Robbins Charles Corkery Herman H. Heath Edward C. David V. J. Williams George L. Torbert Moses M. Ham George C. Crane Moses M. Ham Joseph S. Morgan Herman Ternes Louis H. Brede Maurice Connolly John W. McEvoy Charles H. Wunderlich Herman Ternes Anthony F. Schrup Gus M. Euhrman Alphonse M. Link Charles J. Murphy Postal receipts at Dubuque: 1879 1934 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1982 1833-1835 1835-1837 1837-1849 1849-1853 1853-1857 1857-1861 1861-1869 1869-1873 1873-1885 1885-1889 1889-1893 1893-1897 1897-1909 1909-1913 1913-1917 1917 (3 months) 1917 (6 months) 1919-1921 1921-1933 1934-1960 1960 (9 months) 1961 (17 months) 1963- $ 33,000 284,440 342,975 639,229 1,007,045 2,034,587 6,865,554 8,911,422 History of first-class letter rates: 1885-1917 1917-1919 1919 7/6/32. 8/1/58 1/7/63 1/7/68 5/16/71 3/2/74 12/13/75 5/29/78 5/22/81 11/1/81 2¢ 3¢ (war years) back to 2¢ by Congress 3¢ 4¢ 5¢ 6¢ 8¢ 10¢ 13¢ 15¢ 18¢ 20¢ The author, Len Kruse, is a native Dubuquer who has served nearly four decades with the Dubuque Post Office. He has worked in all areas of the Postal Service, and now is Supervisor of Administration at the Dubuque, Iowa Post Office - Len Kruse