---

"Starting in 1906 the mail from Franklin was carried not only to box holders but to Post Offices where the railroad didn't travel. The Post Offices were: Bridge Creek, Springhurst, Huns Valley, Mountain Road, and Murchison. Some of these were discontinued later. The drivers were: W.J. Morris started in 1906, Alexander (Sandy) Brown in 1908; Archie Harding in 1928; Chas. McCullough in 1932; Cecil Poole in 1940; S. Kwiat on one trip; Geo McCullough in 1944; Alex Montgomery in 1945; William White in 1949 until it was discountinued in 1952."

"With the Canadian Pacific Railway line running east and west through Carberry (De Winton) came supplies, passengers and mail. It was to be years before rail lines reached further north, but a network of trails and roads allowed for the use of stagecoaches, and so the 1800s saw delivery lines and schedules established...

The following are examples of stagecoach schedules and how they changed.

1. 1880 stage to Rapid City, a newspaper article stated that on and after the 5th November, a stage will leave Palestine every Wednesday morning at 7 o'clock, for the Little Saskatchewan, arriving at Rapid City on Thursday evenings. Returing on Saturday mornings, and arriving at Palestine on Sunday evenings.
2. 1884 documentation had stages leaving Carberry Tuesday and Friday 07:00 a.m. and passing through Fairview, Petrel, Wellwood, Oberon, Neepawa, and on to Salisbury. It eft Salisbury Wednesday and Friday 11:30 a.m. to make its way back to Carberry.
3. 1886 a letter to the Post Office Inspector's Office stated: 'Glendale in connection with Creeford, Brookdale, Montrose is now supplied weekly from Sewell...'
4. 1891 a stagecoach service was established on the Burrow's trail between Arden and Dauphin.
5. 1898 documents shows that mail for Neepawa arrived from the east (via Carberry) Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Mail from Glendale left the Douglas Station Monday and Friday noon.
6. 1900 a mail stage ran from Neepawa to Norgate via Riding Mountain.

"Pioneers walked numberous miles to collect mail, travellers passing from one destination to another carried it, it was transferred by ox-cart, stage coach, horseback and many other ways until the arrival of the trains. Government Post Offices were established in outlying districts had what were called 'drop-off centres' where the mail was left to make it more convenient for neighbors to gather it. The very first post offices to established in (what is now) the Rural Municipality of Lansdowne were:

• Wm. Millar's halfway house in 1879;
• Mekiwin (earlier known as McGregor) at the residence of Miss C.E. St. Clair;
• Orange Ridge (1883) at the residence of Eli Winter;
• Arden (1884) M.E. Boughton was the first postmaster (a position that he passed down to his son, Wilbur, and then to his grandsons, Walter then Wilbur);
• Florenta (1884) at the home of Alec McKenzie;
• Glenholm (1890) at Marshall Scott's;
• Keyes (formerly Midway) 1893 at Henry R. Keyes;
• Tenby (1895) at the James Griffith's residence;
• Purple Ridge (1896) in the James Scott home;
• Helston (formerly Berton) 1905 at the J.A. Christelaw residence."

The very first Post Office is the area was opened by Mr. John Graham in his home and it was run by his wife. He named it "Clydesdale".

"...On a survey map prepared by Chas. Goad C.E. Montreal, marked No. 22 for Neepawa, Manitoba, January, 1888, is shown as a Post Office ... situated on lot 24, block 101, south side of Hamilton St. Today ... 360 Hamilton St.

It appears that with the controversy over the actual situation of the town - would it be at the north end or south end? - there was dissatisfaction with the Post Office." By 1909 it was housed in the Odd Fellows building and moving to the Post Office and Customs House. It was housed here form Oct. 9, 1909 to Oct. 9, 1971 when it was moved to its present location on the northwest corner of Brown and Ellen. The old Post Office is now known as the Neepawa Building.

The following is a list of Postmasters, dating from 1882:

J.J. Hamilton (1/8/1882 - 4/3/1885)
Alfred Dalton (1/4/1885 - 8/4/1889)
Jno. J. McFadden (1/8/1889 - 14/6/1897)
W.F. Young (31/7/1897 - 8/3/1905)
E.J. Harris (1/5/1905 - 27/4/1912)
Wm. Wigmore (31/5/1912 - 24/2/1930)
Geo. Stephen Blackwell (16/8/1930 - 30/7/1959)
John G. Nye (10/10/56 acting)
Wesley Evertt Davidson (31/7/1959 - 2/2/1964)
Arthur J. Willis (3/2/1964 - 27/10/1967)
J.M. Barker (28/10/1967 - 13/1/1969)
C.R.M. Hobday (14/1/1969 - 28/8/1969>
J.M. Barker (resumed duties 8/12/1978)
L. Buchanan (acting 3/12/1979)
T. McIntosh (3/12/1979 - presently in 1983)