Lake Geneva is a resort town in the southeastern part of Wisconsin. The lakeshore is dotted with large mansions that help tell a story of a time gone by. For 101 years, mail to these lakefront homes has been delivered by mail boat and a small team of "mail jumpers". At first a necessity because of the local roads, now it's a bit of a novelty.
There are only a few mailboats left worldwide and Lake Geneva's is the only one who delivers the letters and parcels using mail jumpers. Every year teenagers try out to spend their summer hopping on and off the boat to deliver mail on the piers. The boat never stops, making this a rather treacherous mail delivery system.
A circuit of the lake, Wisconsin's second deepest, takes about 2.5 hours and Lake Geneva Cruise Lines has turned the mail delivery ride into a passenger cruise. The jumpers narrate the trip, telling you all about the stately homes that line the lakeshore - all while making sure the homes get their daily mail.
The US Mailboat Walworth delivers mail along the shore of Lake Geneva and has done so since 1916.
When it started, the mailboat was a necessity - if there were roads to the lakefront houses, they were rocky at best. The mailboat was the safest, most expedient way to get the mail to the residents.
Now the mailboat is something of a novelty. It's the only one in the world that utilizes mail jumpers.
Today, residents will sometimes meet the boat, but during wartime, meeting the boat was a social occurrence. With no money for other luxuries, the mailboat was not just a source of entertainment and a chance to socialize, but it brought the only news, headlines and correspondence from soldiers overseas.
Each year, teenagers audition to be mail jumpers. The mail is delivered by mailboat from June 15 through September 15.
Each mailjumper admits they've taken a soaking or two in the lake. The process of delivering this way is not easy. The boat does not stop, so the jumpers leap to the dock, sprint to the mail box and sprint back.
The rail they leap to and from is narrow. And if they take too long on the dock, the boat has passed them by.
Mail jumping is certainly an artform, but it's one of the most unique and special summer jobs a person could have.
Though they're usually just delivering newspapers and envelopes to the homes along the lakeshore, the mail jumpers also deliver packages. There's a story that one mail jumper successfully delivered a flat screen television. There's also a number of camps along the lake, so the jumpers will have to drop off and pick up full sacks of mail.
While aboard the mailboat cruise, passengers are encouraged to write a postcard. The postcard will be hand canceled with a special U. S. Mailboat stamp, the only spot in the world where this postmark is available.
The mailboat departs at 10 am every day, including Sunday. Boarding begins at 9:30 am. Tickets are $37 for adults, $35 for seniors and $21 for children ages 4-17. The cruise lasts about 2.5 hours.
Find out more about chartering a tour on the mail boat here.
For another unique cruise in Wisconsin, check out this article from our archives.
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