September 14, 2009

Special Delivery...Lake Geneva's Mail Boat

Posted to Area Attractions & Events, Geneva Lake Area , Julie Sarton

Having lived in Lake Geneva for 33 years, I’m like the New Yorker who never visits the Statue of Liberty. Rarely have I been on one of our many tour boats, and have always wondered what the ride would be like on the boat that delivers mail every day. With friends coming to our beautiful little lake this summer, I finally booked 4 tickets on the mail boat tour. Leaving the pier at 10:00 AM every morning from June 15 until September 15, the ‘Walworth’ provides the oldest continuous mail boat service in the United States and is the only delivery of its type. Seating around 150 passengers on its two decks, she circles the entire lake, cruising by 60 piers, never completely stopping. Young, athletic, female ‘mail persons’ literally jump off the boat onto these piers, run to the mail box, frantically stuff the mail in, and run to hop back on the boat before it passes by. If they don’t time their jumps perfectly, they will end up taking an unplanned swim. Obstacles, such as freshly painted or rain-slippery piers and overly friendly dogs, bring about gasps and applause from the passengers once overcome. Our favorite delivery was to an Irish setter waiting patiently at the end of the pier. After the mail was put into his mouth, he trotted happily away to take it to his owner, rewarded with cheers from the passengers.

In between deliveries, the Walworth captain and the mail person narrate the history of many of the stately homes passing by. An astonishing number of well known names such as Wrigley, Sears, and Montgomery Ward, keep surfacing, giving credence to the early reputation of Lake Geneva as a playground for the rich and famous. Flat screen TVs on board simultaneously show photos of the original, historic mansions as we pass them. It was a lovely cruise, a relaxing two hours, and my friends are now convinced that Wisconsin offers something other than cheese and cows!

Posted By: Julie Sarton

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