7 Small-Town Minnesota Post Offices Closing

STEEN  (AP) - Seven small-town Minnesota post offices are closing good Friday and Saturday.

It's the latest setback for towns that have seen a steady exit of community
institutions and businesses over the years.

They include the post office in Steen, a southwestern town of about 180 that has lost churches, a school, a grocery store and a bank in recent decades. Mayor Mel Van Batavia said the post office's final day will be a sad one.

Although the direct economic toll from losing the post office will be small, the mayor says the psychological toll will be high.

He says it means there will be one less thing on Main Street.

Other towns where post offices are closing include Silver Creek, Taopi, Kenneth, Clements, Trail and Holland.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)