With snail mail headed the way of landlines and newspapers, few give much thought to their mailboxes these days.

In some neighborhoods, doorstep delivery is already extinct, replaced by clustered units in a central location. The move away from traditional mailboxes could be why residents who erect something other than a plain box get noticed.

“They catch people’s eyes because they’re different,” says Ron Perry, customer public relations coordinator for the U.S. Postal Service for southern Colorado.

Letter carriers have seen it all.

“Broncos, fish, cowboys, covered wagons, boats,” Perry says. “There’s metal, cast iron, plastic, wood – just a variety. It’s just people’s preference, as part of their character or the character of their home.”

Digging deeper, the stories are as unique and interesting as the shapes and designs.