Postal contractor's uniform cap

Jerry's Rogue River Mailboat · c. 2010

Boat Pilot and White Water Mailman Hugh McGinnis wore this uniform hat in the 2000s while working for Jerry’s Rogue River Mail Boats, a postal contract company serving communities on the Rogue River in southern Oregon. The first official mail contract for this area started in 1896. The route and the holders of the mail transport contract have changed over time. Jerry’s Rogue Jets company moves the mail by trucks in the wintertime and by jet boats in the summer when tourists travel along with the mail. The gray cap and its embroidered patch show signs of weathering the conditions of work on a demanding, rugged, rural mail route.