WILLOW CREEK — Walter Thorne, son of Ezra Thorne II and father of young Jedidiah, has been appointed as a rural mail carrier for the Willow Creek route, the Post Office Department announced this week.
Thorne, 44, takes over the route from retiring carrier Harold Fisher, who has served the town since 1935. He will cover the 22-mile loop that extends from the town center to the outlying farms on Farr Road, Sugarhouse Road, and the Island Falls cutoff.
“The Thorne name continues its long association with the town’s essential services,” the Gazette noted in its coverage. “From shipbuilding to mail delivery, the family that founded Willow Creek remains woven into its daily life.”
The appointment carries a salary of $3,800 per year, with a government-owned Jeep provided for the route. Thorne will be responsible for sorting mail at the Willow Creek Post Office each morning before departing on his route at approximately 9:00 AM.
“I’ve been sorting mail at the kitchen table for two weeks, getting the hang of the routes,” Thorne said. “Every box has its own personality. Some you can reach from the driver’s seat. Some require a walk. The Farr Road boxes are all walk boxes — the road’s too narrow to stop.”
Thorne’s son Jed, now 10, has already begun accompanying his father on Saturday rounds, riding in the passenger seat of the Jeep and helping to sort mail by street. “I like the dogs best,” Jed said. “There’s a collie on Pond Road who waits by his box every day. He knows the schedule better than I do.”
Walter Thorne will hold the route for 16 years, until his death in 1975. His son Jed will go on to become the town’s historian, preserving the Thorne family legacy — and the stories of thousands of letters delivered along the winding roads of Willow Creek.