The Postal History in the Yenisey Province

The history of Yenisey postal sevice started long before the foundation of the province.The start point is considered to be in 1698, when the government decided to organize regular postal service in Siberia, going in summer 3 times from Moscow to Tobolsk and then through Yeniseisk, Nerchinsk to Yakutsk.

Only 35 years later, in 1733 the decree “About the construction the longest road in the world» appeared and stated the goal to develop regular postal service between Eastern Siberian cities. Appointment of settlements and organization of chase was entrusted to the great commander, navigator and discoverer Vitus Bering. He should be considered the first founder of the post service in our region.

By July 18, 1734 Krasnoyarsk Cossacks finished erecting verst pillars to the Irkutsk region. At the same time post stations and winter huts were built in the chosen places. In the 19^th century in the Yenisey Province there already were 49 post stations with 219 pairs of horses at them. The distance between the post stations reached 100 versts (≈106.7 km). The mail was delivered by horses only to the village of Nazimovo, and the rest 872 versts to Turukhansk and Dudinka – by sledges with a dog or a deer team. In summer the mail was delivered by boats and rafts along the Yenisey. The word “urgent” at those times was not actual – for example, the residents of the province got “fresh” news about the events in the capital just 20 days after them, or even later.

Only since 1863 mail to the northern regions started to be delivered by ship, and in 1898 the first postal railway route from Moscow to Krasnoyarsk was organized.

On November 1863 telegraph appeared in Krasnoyarsk and everything became faster.  However, only very rich people could use telegraph. A telegram to Moscow comprising of 20 words costed 8.5 rubles. Those days two sheep or a horse costed the same money. Telegraphists took the oath and signed the documents about nondisclosure of information. Among the obligatory requirements there were knowledge of Morse code, skills of using Morse key and knowledge of German and French languages.