Mule train delivery

MULE TRAIN

delivery

The most unusual delivery method used by the Postal Service is a mule train in Arizona. The mules carry mail, food and supplies down a 9-mile trail to the Havasupai Indians at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

* | Tags: Fun facts Map facts USPS Fact #310 | March 20, 2023

Got mules? The most unusual mode of delivery used by the Postal Service is the mule train.

Since the 1930s, mules have been carrying mail and goods to the Havasupai people located inside the Grand Canyon.

  • 10-22 mules are used daily, along with one wrangler on horseback, 5 days a week, traveling 9 miles down into the canyon to the Supai Post Office.
  • It takes 3 hours to get down and 5 hours to get back up
  • On the way back up, the wrangler untethers the mules and sends them back up on their own
  • Each mule can carry up to 200 pounds and the weight is loaded equally on each side for balance
  • The Supai Post Office has a special Mule Train postmark