Incredibly, there was a time in this nation when mail service was not as we know and are accustomed to today — before men and women who serve as mail carriers braved rain, shine, sleet or snow to make certain that the mail was safely delivered to rural citizens.

Few remember those days. Even fewer folks recall when rural Americans were required to go to the post office to get their mail, but such a time did once exist. Rural mail delivery services changed all of that and people now seldom give a second thought to mail delivery and the logistics it takes to make it successful.

Free mail delivery started in 1863 in US cities with limited services and it didn’t take long for those living in outlying rural areas to request the same. Their petitions materialized into mail delivery service in 1896 when 82 rural routes were established and began operation. By 1901, 37,000 carriers, or Rural Carrier Associates (RCA), were employed at a cost of $36,915,000.00 and covered 993,068 miles. By 1906, Rural Free Delivery (RFD) services were an official arm of the US Postal Services. Today, with 16% of Americans living in rural areas, that number has grown substantially to almost 133,000 rural letter carriers and roadside mailboxes dot the US landscape. The routes can cover many miles of roads that have low density populations and the average milage can be as much as 100 plus miles daily.

Mail carriers like LaSalle Parish’s Jeff Sandifer, usually have an established rural route and know how to safely and promptly deliver the mail. Sandifer, like all his colleagues, is required to furnish his own vehicle and other necessary equipment for the job. He also had to master driving on the right side of the vehicle in order to hand place the mail inside each mailbox. He normally only leaves his vehicle to deliver articles that are too big to go into mailboxes and must be left at his customers’ doors, a task that Sandifer often fulfills to the appreciation of his many rural customers.

It’s safe to say that the general public knows little about what Sandifer and the average mail carrier endures to deliver the mail. The packages can’t be too heavy for delivery and it’s essential the carrier learns how to correctly lift and carry each parcel. The roads can be challenging with bumps and potholes that literally leave the carrier sitting on the edge of his or her seat! Some ‘roads’ run out of asphalt, and dirt and gravel are the only evidence that a mailbox is waiting somewhere along the route.

Rural mail carriers are also required to deliver the mail regardless of any and all-weather conditions. This means that neither hurricanes, torrential rains, nor damaging winds keep the rural mail man or woman from doing his or her job. An experience Sandifer can attest to – having delivered the mail many times while attempting to keep on the road safely without the wind blowing him and his valuable cargo astray.

“Although the job can be challenging because of the weather and volume of mail, I’ve enjoyed working as a rural mail carrier for the last 37 years,” Sandifer shared. “I’ve met some great people on the route, and I always enjoy talking to my customers when I see them at the door or by the mailbox.”

The soon approaching Christmas holidays will substantially add to rural mail carriers’ responsibilities. The volume of Christmas cards and packages will stretch deadlines and increase stress levels; however, these faithful public servants will be on the job, mail in hand, ready to carry and deliver packages to hundreds of thousands of rural citizens, making sure Christmas cheer is just that.

Who can say what the future holds for mail carriers and their customers. Technology has advanced and replaced a host of traditional jobs and the people who fulfill them. While many now opt to pay bills online, correspond through social media sites, texts and such, the rural mail carrier is still seen as vital to the vast countryside and the mailboxes that eagerly await a letter, card or package. There remains a level of anticipation of pulling out a glossy covered magazine or a long-awaited delivery of a special item or gift from the familiar rectangular mailbox. Delivering the mail is a responsibility taken seriously by the faithful carriers who daily fulfill their roles and responsibly fulfill their jobs. They can and still do carry the mail efficiently and effectively.