Becoming Citi-fied

The organization of the Rural Free Delivery was one of the greatest administration achievements of the 19th century, but until the turn of the century it had its problems.  Rural agents traveled the countryside gathering information for RFD routes, then organized and supervised that information in 1889.  Finally by 1906 the essential routes had been set up and the rural agent became a part of the federal postal system.

Now farmers, rather that putting out soapboxes and milk pails for mail delivery, had a standardized mail box.  For the first time every person living in the United States had cheap accessible communication.  For the more than half the US population that lived in the rural areas, it put them in contact with the bigger world and with people and events they never knew.

RFD led to the combining of post offices and eventually the elimination of many of the small town post offices.  In Kansas for example, 16 post offices were closed and moved to a bigger city in just 10 years.  As a result, general stores were gone, church attendance declined and local Granges shut down...All because the farmer no longer came to town to collect his mail and gather for social conversation.

Along with the mail letter, newspapers and magazines also were delivered by RFD.  One of the reason RFD had backing in the first place, was the claim of the "isolation of the farmer."  With the weekly trip to town, farmers got their news while getting their mail, but with RFD, that trip was no longer necessary.  Newspaper circulation saw a boom to rural areas.  It was, for some farmers, the first time they had ever received a newspaper at home.  By 1911, over a billion newspapers and magazines were delivered by RFD. 

People became more "citi-fied", more worldly.  More interested in what went on in other parts of the country and the world.  Eventually more of the population moved away from the farm and into the city.  Some believe that all began because of Rural Free Delivery.

Next time...Parcel Post
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Today in Pioneer History:  "On August 1, 1774, Joseph Priestly discovers oxygen while serving as a tutor to the sons of American William Petty.  Although British, Priestly was an American and French sympathizer in both Revolutions.  He settled in Northumberland, Pennsylvania, where he established the first Unitarian church in Philadelphia.