Courtesy of Steve Bolton
Everyone in town had to go to the post office for their mail until 1928 when village delivery was established, but only to places that had cement sidewalks. Before this building was built, post offices operated in at least three other locations, all on Main Avenue.

Early in Park Rapids history, there was no regular mail. While Charles Rice had been named the settlement's first postmaster in 1881, no deliveries came to town. The mail only made it as far as Shell City, now a ghost town in Wadena County. Volunteers carried the mail to and from Park Rapids and Shell City.

As Park Rapids grew, residents petitioned their congressman to be granted their own mail route and were successful. Weekly deliveries began in 1883, and daily mail delivery began in 1886. Park Rapids residents received mail that had left Saint Paul only the night before.

This Post Office building you see at the corner of Park Avenue and Third Street was built in 1939. To commemorate the new building, Alonzo Hauser, one of Minnesota's most prolific sculptors, was commissioned to carve three oak relief sculptures to hang in the lobby. Hauser visited Park Rapids for inspiration and was struck by residents' interest in public art and his project.

Please step into the building to view the panels. "Indian" represents the first people who settled in the land that would become Park Rapids. "Park Service Symbol" shows a natural scene of lakes and pines. The last, "Lumberjack in Setting," represents the timber industry that brought so many people and industries to Park Rapids. The three carvings were originally hung above the postmaster's door and continue to remain on display today.

301 Park Avenue South
Park Rapids, MN 56470

Open Site Location on Google Maps
46.9199210781836, -95.0587834061376