SupaiMuleTrain
07 AUGUST 2000 - SUPAI, AZ: A mule with empty postal service cartons waits to be loaded with mail at the parking lot eight miles above the village of Supai on the Havasupai Indian reservation in northern Arizona, Aug. 7. There are no roads or rail service into Supai, a village of 600 people on the floor of the Grand Canyon, so the mail is delivered by mule train. The wranglers who lead the mules down to the village haul everything from letters and postcards to fresh produce and ice cream. The mail is hauled down the steep mountain slopes five days a week rain or shine. It normally takes about three hours to haul the mail down. Because of budget shortfalls, the US Postal Service is threatening to close the post office in Supai. PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
