Talk:Post road

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Template

I think the US constitution template is unneeded here as it does not even refer to post roads and just takes over the whole article as it stands now. Unless someone has a great reason to keep it, I will remove it. ww2censor (talk) 18:51, 18 December 2007 (UTC)

I added the post road and post office clause to the template. I think there's a way to automatically collapse it, but I'm not sure how.--Swampyank (talk) 22:07, 18 December 2007 (UTC)

Tōkaidō, etc.

I don't think that the Tōkaidō the Nakasendō should be included in this article. Japanese kaidō ("postal roads") were not built for the transportation of mail; rather, they were established for travelers going (primarily) to and from Edo. Even though the word shukuba is often translated as "post town" or "post station," it is not in reference to mail. Douggers (talk) 00:49, 20 December 2007 (UTC)

As far as I know, it is not related to mail either.--Swampyank (talk) 01:46, 20 December 2007 (UTC)

I removed the information. Douggers (talk) 01:47, 25 December 2007 (UTC)

A simple search on "coast road" led to a number of articles in 1911 Britannica including Potosi City and Coasting which suggest that a hundred years ago it was not usual to restrict the term "Post road" to ones made for that purpose. Rather, it was a designation applied by postal authorities to designate roads for postal use. The designation often, or at least when postal administration was more centralized or efficient or well endowed than that of roads, implied that the posties would in some way take care of the road. Prominent examples seem to included 17th and 18th century France and England and their empires. And, for that matter, the earlier Inca road system.

I also vaguely recall that in the 1840s the US Congress declared all present and future railroads to be post roads, presumably implying some sort of authority over them. If properly referenced, this kind of historical information could greatly improve this article. The concept of a "post town" is also indicated in and elsewhere. Of course, nowadays roads are greatly improved, and RFD has brought mail to almost everyone in rich countries, so the question of whether or not the postal authorities still designate some roads as "post roads" is less important. Jim.henderson (talk) 19:34, 31 December 2007 (UTC)

While many roads are used as post roads, this article seems to focus on roads that are specifically labeled as routes for postal service. If you were to extend the definition beyond that, then just about every road in America (and probably the world) could be designated a post road, making such a designation pointless. That's why think the Tōkaidō should not be included. (If, however, your comments are unrelated to the Tōkaidō, I apologize for the confusion.)

I agree that your information concerning Congress' decision in the 1840s can add great value to this article, though. Douggers (talk) 06:19, 4 January 2008 (UTC)

Benjamin Franklin & post roads in the USA

I remember reading some time ago that when Benjamin Franklin was the Assistant/Deputy Postmaster General, he had mile markers erected along the post roads, many of which still exist. Do you have any further information on this aspect of US post roads? Thank you, Wordreader (talk) 02:49, 15 July 2013 (UTC)