Activities & More
Letter Perfect
Parrots & Other Pets
Bird Up!
Art & Letters
Teaching the ABCs to pre-Ks
How to write a letter
Rain or Shine
Mail from A to Zip
Even before the U.S. became a nation, we had a postal service, headed by Benjamin Franklin. After postage stamps were issued in 1847, Franklin’s face was on them.
As settlement moved westward, mail moved by boat1, stagecoach2, train and telegraph. In 1860-61, the legendary Pony Express3, a relay of men on horseback, rode from Missouri to California in roughly 10 days.
The first mail flight took off in 19114, but mail was still delivered by trucks, motorcycles5 and, sometimes, skis6.
In 1963, Mr. Zip7 encouraged the public to use the new Zip codes for faster delivery. Today, of course, the fastest delivery is by clicking “send8.”
Fun Fact
On the back cover of A Letter to Amy, the graffiti on the fence includes a number of scribbled names. This was a secret and amusing way for Ezra to give a shout-out to his friends.