POSTAL SERVICE

The first mail to this area in 1854, arrived by water at Hamilton's Landing which was located at the mouth of the Credit River. In 1894 the name was changed to Glendale and in 1904 to Savage. The patrons picked up their mail at the post office or at a designated place in the rural areas. A mail messenger rode in by horse to pick up the mail.

Rural Free Delivery, R.F.D., was started in September, 1906. Mr. Charles Kline was the first rural mail carrier for the community of Savage. The mail route was 27 miles long, covering a scattered area south of town. A horse and cart were used during good weather, and a cutter during the winter months for the deliveries. The mail carrier's day began at 9:00 a.m. and the hours were long, sometimes ending at 8:00 or 9:00 p.m. The salary was $60.00 per month. Mrs. Martin Hynes was the postmistress.

Mr. Ray Stapleton was the second carrier and served for about 20 years. He was succeeded by Mr. George C. Simmons as the rural carrier for Route 1, Savage on April 1, 1927, and he continued the route until his retirement on January 1, 1957. During those years he traveled enough stop and go miles to circle the earth 15 times...a total of 405,000 miles. In the nearly 30 years he delivered the mail, the route grew from 160 patrons to 445, from 36 miles in 1927 to 51 in 1956. The area covered the territory that is now Burnsville.

Mr. Raymond Egan, who was the substitute, became the carrier for Route 1, Savage, on January 2, 1957 and is still the carrier for that route. He has served longer than any other carrier in the Savage- Burnsville area.

As the community grew, so did the postal service. Burnsville's first post office, a contract station, was opened October 1, 1963, in the Medical Center Pharmacy at the Jet Plaza, now called Valley Ridge. This station provided a complete postal service including money orders, postage and parcel post. At that time, Burnsville residents could drop the name Savage and use Burnsville as their mailing address.

The Burnsville Branch, 12212 - 12th Avenue South, Burnsville, was opened on August 1, 1967. The eight rural routes were converted to seven city routes and one rural route with a total of 3,218 patrons. By March 1, 1976, there were 18 city routes with 10,544 city patrons and three rural routes with 1,424 rural patrons. The personnel has increased to a total of 46.

The many changes in the postal service in this area can certainly be attributable to the rapid population growth.
The Post Office Pictures
Bea Williams