From 1885 to 1893, the U.S. Star Mail Route provided the first regular direct communication between this area and Miami. Mail carriers walked barefoot on the wet hard-packed sand along the ocean’s edge, rode or sailed boats on Lake Worth and Biscayne Bay, and used boats to cross the Hillsborough Inlet and the New River. The weekly 136-mile round trip took six days, and the annual salary was $600. On October 11, 1887, barefoot mailman Ed Hamilton lost his life while attempting to swim across the Hillsborough Inlet after someone had moved his boat to the other side. Searchers found only his clothing and mailbag on the north side of the inlet, and it was thought that gators or sharks got him when he attempted to swim in stormy weather.