Postal Rates

City carriers, 1888

Uniformed letter carriers pose with their satchels in Newark, New Jersey, in 1888. The carrier shown at center is likely Louis A. Sears. According to an 1893 article in The New York Times, Sears was the first letter carrier in Newark to use a bicycle to deliver the mail. African Americans delivered mail in cities by 1869, just six years after the start of free city delivery. Collection of National Archives and Records Administration

Missoulian: How much did it cost to send a letter the year you were born?

Postage Rates and Historical Statistics