Picture of the day - March 9, 2007

A Tiny Post Office In Murray, Idaho

Photo courtesy of Donald L. Burrell. Most U.S. Post Offices look pretty much the same. They're most often just a bland-looking rectangular brick building with an American Flag and one or more letter boxes located in front of it. But some post office buildings are quite unique, sporting a distinctive architectural style that matches the community in which it is located. Today's picture features a very unique post office indeed: the one serving Murray, Idaho (zip code 83874). In 1883 the town of Murray, Idaho didn't even exist, but the discovery of gold in the area led to a gold rush and within two years a town of 2,000 adventurous souls had been established to mine it. Like many small towns of the era, the discovery of gold gave birth to Murray, and like many of those same small towns the absence of gold led to its virtual demise. By 1898 all that remained of the once booming town was a bunch of empty buildings and a handful of hopeful holdouts. Today, Murray is more or less a ghost town with fewer than 30 people living within its boundaries. But many of the original buildings are still standing, and this tiny post office proudly serves the handful of families that still need it.   "Picture of the Day" archives             Submit a photo of your own!            Why I publish the "Picture of the Day"