Does the zip code 48222 ring a bell? Unless you have a loved one working on a Great Lakes freighter, probably not. But if you want to send a love letter, a bill, a care package, or even an order of fast-food French fries to a sailor traversing Michigan’s waterways, remember 48222. It’s the only non-military “floating” postal code in the country, and it’s based right here in Michigan on the J.W. Westcott II mail boat.
The Westcott maritime legacy
John Ward Westcott was born into a Great Lakes maritime family. Shipping was the Westcott family business: John’s father and uncle played key roles in Ward’s Central and Pacific shipping lines, along with Ward’s Detroit and Lake Superior Lines, which allowed goods to be transported across waterways aboard the Ste. Huron. For John, boating was a natural career course—and by the late 1860s, he’d become the youngest Great Lakes captain at just 20 years old.
But John’s innovative mind looked beyond traditional shipping logistics. Instead, he turned his focus to an oft-overlooked but vital element of the maritime trade: communication. It was common practice at the time for shipping companies to maintain secrecy around their cargo, sometimes even leaving the crews themselves unclear as to where they were sailing.
This lack of transparency also meant that on-shore shipping companies and ship crews were left unable to communicate about mishaps, route changes, or other complications. It was, Westcott thought, both an inconvenience and a liability.
