Gordon neighbors rally to save post office
Oct. 21—TOWN OF GORDON — One of Northwest Wisconsin's oldest post offices is on the national chopping block, and local residents are fighting back.
More than 80 people rallied at the town of Gordon Post Office Thursday, Oct. 20, carrying signs and sharing their concerns. The post office, which has been in the community for 162 years,
is slated to close at the end of the business day Nov. 9.
Residents said they haven't received any information about the closing in their mail boxes, post office boxes — the Gordon building has 300 — or via phone. A sign taped to the door announced the closing and the fact that residents will have to travel 20 miles round trip to the Solon Springs Post Office for service once it does.
The move has prompted a flurry of action.
Pam Boettcher of Gordon launched a petition, both
online
and on paper, to keep the post office open. It has already garnered more signatures than the town's 2020 census population of 757. Copies can be signed at a number of sites throughout Gordon, including the transfer station, ICO gas station, Buckhorn Bar and Halfway Bar and Grill.
Joy Rogers of Gordon has lodged a formal complaint with the United States Post Office over lack of notice about the closure.
Historian Brian Finstad has shared the history of the Gordon Post Office, which dates back to Sept. 12, 1860. It was originally housed at the trading post owned by town founder Antoine Gordon.
U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany, R-Hazelhurst, penned a letter Wednesday, Oct. 19, to Postmaster General Louis DeJoy urging that the closing be reconsidered. Rally organizers said U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson has also released a statement in support of keeping the Gordon Post Office open.
The closing was prompted by stalled lease negotiations between the building owner and post office, which are handled by a third party, Boettcher told the crowd. Doug MacDonald, the great-great grandson of Antoine Gordon, said building owners Kevin and Liz Heinz have agreed to place the building in the hands of the nonprofit Gordon Wascott Historical Society. Without a lease agreement, however, the post office would still close.
The rally gave organizers a chance to lay out the facts, dispel rumors and prod residents to get involved. The turnout, Finstad said, exceeded all expectations.
"It doesn't surprise me," said Holly Diesel of Gordon. "People that live here come out to support each other in many ways."
Having a post office in town means convenience and a central location, she said.
Barb Fiandt, whose family has lived in Gordon since the 1940s, said it is still heavily used.
"A lot of people frequent this post office. You drive by here and there's always two or three cars sitting out front. People are constantly going in and out," said Michele Trapp of Gordon.
Mail for town of Wascott residents also flows through the building, MacDonald said, and is delivered by one of two rural route carriers.
The lobby houses a Northern Waters book drop and a cork board to post area happenings. Residents drop off their sewer bills there; the postmaster will hold medication and packages for residents at the building when they're on vacation.
Gordon resident Sherri Gouge remembers her mother, former postmaster Mary Lou Bergman, checking on community members.
"If someone didn't come into the post office for a couple of days, when my mom was here, she was on the phone finding out 'Everything OK? Your medication came in a couple of days ago and we usually see you in,'" Gouge said. "So it was a place of caretaking, a place of caregiving. So it's not just a post office."
Amy Little wondered how residents would fare sending out packages and Christmas cards over the coming holiday season. Trapp questioned if the Solon Springs Post Office would be able to handle the flood of Gordon mail.
"It's more than a minor convenience for everybody," Little said. "It's a huge deal."
With the countdown to closure ticking, residents were asked if the post office can be saved.
"It's hard to say, but I think if you don't speak up, nothing happens," Diesel said.
Little agreed.
"It seems like a problem that can be remedied if you talk to the right people, so (you) just need to get involved," she said.
Rally organizers encouraged Gordon and Wascott residents — both full-time and vacation home owners — to sign the petition. They can also contact U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany's office at 715-298-9344; the third party in control of the lease, JLL's Transaction Manager, at 720-774-1626 or
; USPS consumer affairs at 414-287-2530; and the Solon Springs postmaster at 715-378-2203. Updates to the situation have been posted on the
Our Gordon and Wascott Family Facebook page.
