PARKS POSTMARKS & POSTMASTERS POST OFFICES within the NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM by Paul R. Lee II Rocky Mountain Philatelic Library INTRODUCTION “Wish you were here!” “We are having a wonderful time!” “Spectacular scenery!” “Today we saw Old Faithful!” Exclamations like these are common in mail from of this would be Estes Park, Colorado. Th e community is the national parks. While thousands, if not millions, of adjacent to Rocky Mountain National Park, but neither postcards and letters from the parks contain these or similar the town nor its post offi ce lie within the park’s authorized statements, there is much more to the story. Post offi ces boundary. In several other cases, portions of a present or and postal history are surely not the fi rst things that come former community do lie within an authorized boundary, to mind when most people think of sites managed by the but the known site of the post offi ce is, or was, outside the U.S. National Park Service (NPS). In fact, on examining the boundary. Th ese were also excluded. reasons for establishing the many park service areas, very In many communities and rural areas, the site of the few have any direct relevance to postal history at all. But post offi ce oft en moved around from business to business there were exceptions. or house to house. Offi cial Post Offi ce Department records Places such as the Natchez Trace, Scotts Bluff , Fort usually do not record these moves, unless something such as Laramie, Fort Larned, Fort Bowie, Fort Union, and Fort the name was changed. Th erefore, there may be cases where Smith are all associated with major travel corridors that a post offi ce was inside the NPS boundary at some periods carried mail. Some of these routes are now part of the but outside at other times. National Trails System, that is also managed through the Also excluded are temporary postal stations, primarily NPS. Most oft en, if it is a factor at all, postal service is (or established for the purpose of issuing postal covers on the was) only a contributing social or economic element of fi rst day of issue of a new stamp. A good example of this is community life, or a service to park visitors. the Statue of Liberty. A number of “fi rst day” ceremonies Most stamp and postal cover collectors probably have have been held on Liberty Island; however, an offi cial postal some, or all, of the fi rst national park stamps and souvenir facility has never existed there. sheets issued in the 1930s, or those issued for the National Property within a park’s authorized boundary does not Parks centennial in 1972. Collectors also may have postal mean that it is actually owned by the federal government. material commemorating specifi c parks, special events, It simply means that the government has the authority to people associated with individual parks, or perhaps acquire land within this boundary, usually through donation postcards or letters mailed from parks visited by friends and or pending agreement between a willing seller and a willing family. buyer. Th ere are numerous examples of locations where a A commemorative stamp album was published for the NPS-related post offi ce once stood (or still stands) that are National Parks Centennial Commission in 1973, and copies still in private hands. For example, see the fi rst listing for can still be found. Actually, the fi rst postage stamp depicting Agate Fossil Beds. a scene now preserved in a NPS site was produced in 1869. Many of the post offi ces were located in former mining, It illustrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence logging, or farming and ranching communities. Some are, in the Assembly Room of Independence Hall. or were, on military posts, or in stations along historic trails Th is study, however, focuses on current and former or railroad lines. One operated in a prison, several were on offi cial post offi ces that now lie within the present authorized Navy ships, and quite a number were established to cater boundaries of United States National Park Service areas. primarily to tourists. Some of these post offi ces existed prior to the establishment As with most topical or thematic collecting endeavors, of a particular NPS site; others predate the establishment deciding on what to include or exclude was sometimes of the NPS itself; and still others existed even before the diffi cult. Th e authorized boundary limitation was fairly easy. establishment of Yellowstone, the world’s fi rst national park. Generally the postal facility is either in or it’s out. However, A few even predate the establishment of the United States. the decision on what types of NPS areas to include was Th e one commonality, however, is that the locations of all not as simple. In addition to the large variety of sites (e.g., these post offi ces place them inside present authorized NPS national parks, national monuments, national recreation boundaries. areas, national seashores, national battlefi elds, national Post offi ces that are adjacent to NPS sites, but lie outside historic sites, national lakeshores, national rivers, national the authorized boundary are not included. An example preserves, etc.) the NPS also assists in managing or providing Parks, Postmarks, & Postmasters 1 some level of assistance for programs such as the National • From 1792 until 1971 the U.S. postal system Register of Historic Places, National Landmarks, National was managed by the Post Offi ce Department Heritage Areas, the National Trail System, and other related (POD) as part of the President’s cabinet. Th e or affi liated areas. Postal Reorganization Act of 1970 resulted in the I decided to limit this reference work to areas managed creation of the current independent U.S. Postal directly by the NPS. Th is generally includes sites headed by Service (USPS) on July 1,1971. a NPS superintendent or unit manager and support staff . • Th e establishment of the U.S. Board on Th is was easier said than done, as management of many Geographic Names in 1890 led to many general areas is quite complex. Th erefore, the main guide was the rules regarding the naming of post offi ces. For NPS publication Th e National Parks: Index 2009-2011. Part example: 2 of its index lists national park system areas by state. Part 3 o It generally eliminated the use of lists related and affi liated areas that are not included in this apostrophes in post offi ce names. study. o It advised deleting the “h” or “ugh” Some general elements of the history of post offi ces and in communities ending in “burgh” or postmaster appointments may be useful to better understand “borough.” and interpret the information presented. For example: o Standardized use of the word “center” • Until the 1960s many postmaster appointments rather than “centre.” oft en operated on the “spoils system.” o Eliminated use of “C.H.” (Court House) Appointments oft en began or ended each time a for county seats. new political party gained control of an area or o Recommended that names be short and even the White House. Today, postal positions are one word rather than two. under the Civil Service system, and appointments o Generally deleted the words “City” or are based on merit. “Town” in community or post offi ce • From 1864 until the mid-1970s post offi ces were names. divided into four basic classes (1st through 4th). A work this extensive is bound to include errors and Th e class designations were based on the volume omissions. Several uncertainties have been noted, and many of business conducted, and this determined times, based on new information, I have added or deleted such things as salaries, budgets and equipment a post offi ce from the list. Readers are urged to provide any provided. By 1975, the classes were discontinued. additions, deletions, or corrections. • In the early 20th century, the onset of Rural Free I did not make a concerted eff ort to track down all of Delivery (RFD) resulted in a sharp reduction in the postal stations or contract postal units that may exist the number of post offi ces in the country. in parks. Records for these facilities are oft en irregular and • Women have served as postmasters since the diffi cult to locate. Postal stations and contract facilities do American Revolution, and their offi cial title has not have postmasters. Each is served by a parent post offi ce always been “postmaster,” not “postmistress.” that does have a postmaster. I have included the stations • Since about 1836, postmasters were required to that I knew about, or stumbled across, but others likely were be U.S. citizens. Th ey also needed to be bonded, missed. to take an oath of offi ce and, until the early 20th From the mid-19th century until the 1970s, special cars century, they needed to live within the area served on many trains were outfi tted to process mail in route. by their post offi ce. Th ese railway post offi ces (RPOs) were staff ed with postal • In colonial times, mail oft en was left at inns, employees, and the mail received a special cancellation coff ee houses and taverns. Although numerous bearing the RPO name. Many of these RPOs delivered or post offi ces were established during this era, picked up mail from sites now within NPS boundaries. Due information about specifi c ones and the names of to the complexities involved, I did not attempt to include all their postmasters is sporadic at best.