Origins
Route Agents and, later, Railway Post Office (RPO) clerks were placed on inland boat lines at a very early date; postmarks go back to 1857. By the 1890s the famed river packets and steamers on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers usually carried RPO mail units, such as the old Cairo & Memphis, and the Vicksburg & New Orleans. Many lakes boasted of this service. In 1902, 82 clerks were serving on 49 boat routes. The last year-round service of this type was in the state of Washington; the Bellingham & Anacortes lasted until 1950.
The longest Boat RPOs operated between New York and San Juan, Puerto Rico, New York and Canal Zone, plus several routes from Seattle, Washington to Alaska ports. These were all discontinued with the on-set of World War II.
Read more about this topic: Boat Railway Post Office
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