In his diary, Ingraham mentions seeing a mail carrier walking along the beach southward to Lemon City. In the 1880s and early 1890s there were no roads connecting Palm Beach and Miami or any of the other towns in the region. In order for mail to reach Miami, it had to be transported via ship along the Atlantic coast or by a mail carrier walking. In 1885 a route was established along the beach and which later became known as the "Barefoot Mail" route. The route was a Star Route operated by a contractor responsible for hiring mail carriers, the so-called barefoot mailmen. The carriers often walked without shoes in order to walk at the water's edge where the sand was firmer. For much of its existence, the route ran from Hypoluxo to Ft. Dallas and took three days each direction. The distance traveled was 80-90 miles on foot and another 50-60 miles via small rowboats at the two inlets that were crossed. Many of the barefoot mailmen were settlers in the Lake Worth region, such as H.J. Burkhardt, and settlers in the Miami region such as Ned Pent and Michael Axer ("Dutch Mike"). The Barefoot Route ended in 1893 when a stage line was established between Lantana and Lemon City. Reportedly, Ned Pent made the last delivery. In 1943 author Theodore Pratt published a novel about the route entitled The Barefoot Mailman.
Links below open in a new browser window.
For other topics referenced in the Expedition texts, please refer to the Index to Subjects and Names.
1892 Everglades Exploration Expedition : Three Digital Texts, 2015