Sandpoint, Idaho – A 91-year-old Idaho man has been reunited with a postcard he sent home in 1953, a message lost to the postal system for 72 years. The astonishing return of the decades-old correspondence wasn’t prompted by a family member longing for a connection to the past, but by the dedication of a journalist, postal workers, and a team of researchers steadfast to solve a decades-old mystery.
For William Ball, the postcard’s belated arrival wasn’t a source of sadness over lost time, but a surprising and humorous reminder of his youth. He recalled the trip the postcard documented as a “totally new” and “amplor” experience. Unbeknownst to him at the time, the card never reached his parents, vanishing into the complexities of the postal service. The postcard’s journey highlights the enduring power of seemingly small gestures and the unexpected ways connections can be rekindled across generations.
The story unfolded last week when Tom Collins, a journalist with The Times, contacted Ball with remarkable news: a postcard believed to have been mailed in 1953 had been recovered. ”When I learned, I think I just started laughing,” Ball said, describing the sheer unexpectedness of the event.
The postcard’s path to rediscovery began with a postal worker in Sandpoint, who handed it to Ball with a wry smile and an apology for the lengthy delay. The card had traveled at least 4,000 kilometers thanks to the efforts of a mail chief,reporters,and a genealogist team who meticulously traced its route and ensured its return.
Ball remains amazed that a simple message penned during his teenage years would resurface after so long. The postcard’s return closes a chapter on a message lost for decades, a testament to the dedication of those who brought it home.
