Dale County AlArchives News.....Ike Riley's Mail Hauling Contract Spans 55 Years, Millions of Miles October 15 1970
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Christine Thacker http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00033.html#0008100 April 26, 2004, 3:47 pm

Southern Star
Ike Riley's Mail Hauling Contract
     Spans 55 Years, Millions Of Miles
         By Joe Adams

  Fifty-five years ago Monday of this week, (Feb. 16, 1932) Isaac
Riley signed a mail contract with the Post Office Department to
transport mail on a route from Ozark to Smithville, Georgia.
  And he is still in the mail hauling business. This past July he
signed a four year contract that will extend through 1990, giving
him 58 years of contract mail operation with the post office.
  Starting out with a 1932 5-passenger Chevrolet, and a 5x6 trailer and a small 
3x6 trailer attached, he was in business with a total investment of $470. Now 
he operates a truck with 600 cubic feet of space, and utilizes two drivers.
  Terms of that first four year mail hauling contract amounted to $75.00 a 
month for handling the mail, $75.00 for delivering express packages, but he was 
also paid $550.00 a month for hauling passengers by the Central of Georgia 
Railroad.
  While his automobile would comfortably accomodate five passengers he 
sometimes jammed up to eight or nine on board. And what was the fare? You
could get a lift from Ozark to Ariton for 10 cents. The fare from Ozark to 
Eufaula was $2.16. Why $2.16? Ike explained that the rates were set by the 
railroad (Central of Georgia), since the post office had taken the mail 
contract away from the railroad at that time.
  But in those days gasoline was selling for 16-17 cents a gallon. You could 
mail a first class letter for two cents, and a post card for a penny of course.
  The normal day would begin with a departure from Ozark at 5 a.m. with stops 
in Ariton, Elamville, Clio, Louisville, Clayton, Eufaula, Georgetown, Ga., 
Morris Station, Ga., Spring Hill, Ga., Shellman, Dawson, Graves, Brownwood, 
then the last stop at Smithville, Ga. where the mail or passengers could make 
connection with the train for Atlanta.
  Riley would normally arrive at Smithville at 12:30, and make it back to Ozark 
around 9:30 p.m. So for the first 18 months in the mail hauling business it was 
a full daily grind from five in the moring until well into the night. Of course 
most of the highways were unpaved, and travel during rainy weather was 
manuevering over muddy roads and often up and down slick clay hills.
  During the 1932-33 period, Riley said he transported a valuable cargo-bags of 
money. The money would be shipped into the Ozark Post Office in sealed bags, 
and he would sign for the shipment, and deliver it to the banks in Clayton and 
Eufaula.
  What was the purpose of this shipment? A number of banks in the area were 
closed, and this was deemed the most expeditious means of getting money to these
Continued ON PAgE 7 (do not have )

    See Picture titled 1932 Mail Route.
   From Newspaper file of H.S.
   Scann & Submitted CGT.

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