-
Jul 24, 1534
Messengers
The French first arrived in North America in the 16th century. Important messages were carried by trusted messengers and were given to the government or other colonies. Although very basic, this was the first form of a postal service in Canada. -
The First Postal Services
In 1755, the first post office was opened in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was started by the British post office in an attempt to improve military communication between Britain and North America. At the time, sending mail through the postal system was expensive, slow, and not very efficient. If it was possible many people chose to deliver their letters themselves. -
The Telegraph
The postal system was the only option to deliver messages to others who live far from you until the invention of the telegraph. This device was used for receiving and transmitting messages over long distances. Messages were sent using an electrical telegraph operator or Morse Code. It worked by transmitting electrical signals over wires laid between stations. This useful machine was invented by Samuel Morse and was introduced on May 24, 1844. -
The Canada Post Corporation
The Canada Post Corporation is the crown corporation which functions as the country's primary postal operator. This postal service was founded by the Canadian government in 1867. These post offices were designed around the British postal services that introduced charging mail by weight and not the destination and also created the concept of the postage stamp. -
The Telephone
One of the most significant inventions of the 1800s was the telephone. This device was invented by Alexander Graham Bell. At the time, the telephone was the best form of communication because you could speak to anyone as long as they also had a telephone. Although this invention was very useful, most households did not have a telephone and were lucky if there was one in the entire town.
