Mail delivery, especially in the winter, was tough on the north shore of Lake Superior. During the wintertime, a combination of sleigh and dogsled were used to distribute mail and people north of Two Harbors. Not until 1925 when the roads were improved North of Two Harbors could mail carriers easily travel their routes.
Interior view of female and male postal clerk in mail room. Boxes with newspapers and letters surround the pair. One gas lamp hangs from the ceiling. Elizabeth Hangartner (Billingsley) clerk and postmaster W.B. Woodward.
Interior view of clerk windows. Man stands at Money order window while woman stands at the general delivery window. Boxes appear on either side of the general mail delivery window. Elizabeth Hangartner (Billingsley) clerk and postmaster W.B. Woodward.
Image of John Beargrease and brother delivering mail for Grand Marais, Minnesota by dogsled. Packed trail is somewhere between Two Harbors and Grand Marais, Minnesota. Before road improvements in the 1920s, a combination of dogsleds, steam ships, sail boats, and sleighs were used to deliver mail to settlements north of Two Harbors. Working in pairs, contracted carriers would make the perilous journey twice weekly.