Under sage and other brush all through the long days, it’s wearing me out and I am tired of the job.” — said Charles Nolin, pony mail carrier of the late 1800’s.Those words, penned by John S. McClintock, author of Black Hills: Accurate History and Facts Related by One of the Early Day Pioneers, quoted a conversation he had with a pony mail carrier, who he believed to be Nolin, on the streets of Deadwood.Last week’s article provided history and background on mail delivery services, but how does a Butte County mail carrier typically spend their day?Five contract carriers, two rural carriers and three city carriers deliver from the Belle Fourche Post Office. These routes cover the city of Belle Fourche and surrounding territory north to Buffalo, west to Alzada, south to Spearfish and east to Nisland.Carriers arrive as early as 7:30 a.m. to begin the casing the day’s mail. They pick up any needed keys and log into their delivery scanners, which record information on packages and other items.

Source: Day in the life of a rural mail carrier : Community