Loveland Reporter-Herald: When I first decided to write a story about our post office building on Sixth Street and Cleveland Avenue, I received a request. The Reporter Herald’s seasoned business reporter and all-around nice guy, Craig Young, urged me to include in my musings, the old boiler.  Craig further implored me to read and mention a certain children’s book in my story. I happily agreed. So, with that, we will begin in the basement of our historic downtown Valentine post office….  President Franklin Roosevelt had created the Works Progress Administration, under which many projects were completed, including the graveling and oiling of our own Big Thompson Canyon road.  Our post office was not a WPA project, but the mural was.  Actually, it was a TRAP project (Treasury Relief Art Project) under the auspices of the WPA.  The mural was done with egg tempera rather than oil paint and is on masonite rather than canvas. It’s entitled “Industries Around Loveland” and it depicts our heritage of agriculture and industry with Longs Peak in the background. James Russell Sherman painted the entire mural in the outdoors, regardless of the weather. Read more.