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Mail jumping is a type of mail delivery. The person doing the mail jumping (known as a mail jumper) is transported on a body of water by a boat. The person jumps off the boat onto a
The mail jumping delivery system has been employed on houses surrounding Geneva Lake in Walworth County,
dock
A dock (from Dutch ''dok'') is the area of water between or next to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a shore) or such structures themselves. The exact meaning vari ...
, places incoming mail in a mailbox, retrieves outgoing mail, and jumps back onto the boat. The boat continues to move at a slow and steady pace (about ) while the mail jumper is jumping.
Geneva Lake
The mail jumping delivery system has been employed on houses surrounding Geneva Lake in Walworth County, Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
, United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
, since before roads were built around the lake in the late 19th century. Roads were first built around the lake in the 1920s. Some residents still use boats as their primary means of transportation to their summer homes on the lake.
Six jumpers are hired annually to deliver mail
The mail or post is a system for physically transporting postcards, letters, and parcels. A postal service can be private or public, though many governments place restrictions on private systems. Since the mid-19th century, national postal sys ...
on behalf of the United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the ...
each summer from June 15 until September 15. Only male jumpers were used until the first woman was hired in 1974. Since then, they have been mostly women. Jumpers began daily at 7 a.m. by sorting mail. Delivery begins at 10 a.m. aboard the U.S. Mailboat ''Walworth''. Mail is delivered to approximately 60 houses. Delivery is completed by around 1 p.m. A typical jumper misses the jump returning to the boat at least once in their career and works the rest of the day wet.
The Lake Geneva Cruise Lines has operated the boat since 1916. It takes approximately 160 tourists along. Most mail runs are at full capacity. Jumpers are expected to be able to speak as tour guides as the tour passes historic summer houses and Yerkes Observatory. The jumpers are privately hired by the cruise line and they work closely with the U.S. Postal Service. The ''Walworth II'' is the only mail jumping boat in the United States. Mail has been delivered this way since 1873. A local resident said "There was a time during the war when everyone really counted on the mailboat. We didn't have TV and computers and all of that, so everyone would gather to meet the mailboat."
References in popular culture
The Travel Channel host Andrew Zimmern taped an episode of his show '' Bizarre World'' in which he worked as a mail jumper. National Public Radio member station WUWM made an episode on mail jumping on August 4, 2014. YouTuber Tom Scott tried mail jumping on August 16, 2022.See also
* *References
{{United States Postal Service Postal history United States Postal Service Walworth County, Wisconsin Wisconsin culture