The United States issued its first postage stamps in 1847. Before that time, the rates, dates and origin of the letter were written by hand or sometimes in combination with a handstamp device. Since enactment of the Postal Reorganization Act of 1970, postage rates have been set by the Postal Regulatory Commission.
The celebrity appeal is not hard to appreciate. Encompassing an area about the size of Rhode Island, Muskoka is clustered around three big lakes -- Muskoka, Joseph and Rosseau -- that are carved into the Canadian Shield and framed by a dense canopy of hemlocks, pines and maples.
The Thousand Islands is a group of about 1500 islands in the St. Lawrence River on the border between the USA and Canada. Thousand Island dressing was named for the Thousand Island region of upstate New York, where the dressing originated. The region, along the St. Lawrence Seaway and Lake Ontario, is a popular spot for fishermen and hunters and for other tourists.