© 2026 KALW 91.7 FM Bay Area
91.7 FM Bay Area. Originality Never Sounded So Good.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

How Americans used to get their weather from the post office

Farmers’ Bulletins were national weather reports compiled each evening in Washington, D.C., and sent to thousands of communities. It was an information lifeline for rural America in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Smithsonian National Postal Museum curator Lynn Heidelbaugh joins Here & Now‘s David Folkenflik to discuss how the Farmers’ Bulletin system first developed and why it was so critical for a growing nation.

The front page of a Farmers' Bulletin weather report. (Courtesy of The Smithsonian National Postal Museum)
/
The front page of a Farmers' Bulletin weather report. (Courtesy of The Smithsonian National Postal Museum)

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2026 WBUR

Here & Now Newsroom