Before December 1942, only men delivered mail on foot in Seattle. With so many men away serving in World War II, the postal service decided to give female carriers a try. Starting in mid-December, Donna Pennington and Ardyth Hamilton sorted mail at the Broadway station and delivered it to homes and businesses on Capitol Hill.

This photo shows Seattle residents Donna Pennington and Ardyth Hamilton, Seattle's first women to deliver mail on foot. Their full bags weighed about 35 pounds. Their Capitol Hill route was about 3 miles long, not including trips back to storage boxes to pick up more mail.

Written on original envelope: Pennington, Mrs. Donna; Hamilton, Ardyth
Subject headings for envelope group: Postal Service--U.S.--lettercarriers ; Woman--employment; Pennington, Donna ; Hamilton, Ardyth
Written on negative: Pennington, Mrs. Donna; Hamilton, Ardyth
Date photograph was filed at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: December 18, 1942