Santa Fe and Los Alamos County Post Office History
This Project made possible by James W. White
Transcribed by C. W. Barnum
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Post Offices Arranged by date of establishment

Santa Fe October 1, 1849
Santa Cruz February 4, 1852
Juana Lopez December 10, 1866
Dolores March 1, 1869
Pojuaque February 25. 1870
La Bajada July 17, 1870
Glorieta January 6, 1875
Galisteo December 19, 1876
Turquesa July 10, 1879
Canoncito September 30, 1879
Cerrillos June 29, 1880
Golden July 2, 1880
Bonanza City August 2, 1880
Lamy March 1, 1881
San Pedro May 16, 1881
Hobart May 19, 1894
Romero April 4, 1895
Madrid March 27, 1896
Cowspring April 6, 1899
Buckman June 22, 1899
Nambe April 16, 1901
Ildefonzo August 14, 1901
Kennedy May 31, 1902
La Cienega April 17, 1906
Stanley April 13, 1907
Otto June 4, 1907
Hyer January 7, 1908
Venus February 10, 1901
Dennison June 4, 1907
Waldo May 20, 1919
Los Alamos November 9, 1920
Cundiyo July 15, 1922
Carnahan February 8, 1927
Enmedic August 25, 1932
Edgewood October 1, 1936
Tesuque February 28, 1938
Totavi February 16, 1949

Mail transportation in
Santa Fe and Los Alamos Counties

Mail service in the New Mexico portion of New Spain did not begin on a schedule until instructions were issued in 1783 to establish regular mail delivery between El Paso and Santa Fe. Before this time, mail (mostly official documents) was transported to and from Mexico City with the Mission Supply Service organized in 1609. This caravan arrived in Santa Fe once every three years.

Around the mid 1700's, merchants from Chihuahua gained control of the Supply Service and the frequency was increased to once each year. Santa Fe was a remote village and the road was long and treacherous, even without the always possible problems with Indians. Orders from the Spanish Crown were obviously very old, by the time they reached the officials in Santa Fe. Around 1800, because of the Indians, mail was separated from the supplies and sent every three or four months with a small escort of soldiers and civilians wishing- to travel with them. Merchants' wagons and livestock were not permitted due to the need to travel fast and often at night. It was not a good idea to leave a lot of wagon tracks and dust behind them.

By 1815, there were probably mail delivery routes out of Santa Fe to carry documents and letters to other settlements. This would be reinforced by the fact that settlements had been established at San Miguel del Bado in 1794 and San Jose in 1803. There were 20 regular soldiers stationed in Santa Fe in 1817 and one of their duties was the delivery of mail. The Albuquerque area would also have received some type of mail delivery since regular communication with Alameda and Tome was needed.

In 1822, William Becknell of Franklin, Missouri, was en route to trade with Indians when he was approached by a troop of Mexican soldiers. Expecting an attack, he was, instead, informed of Mexico's independence and invited to trade at Santa Fe. After all, the United States was much closer than Spain or the commercial centers of Mexico. For the first time, direct mail delivery was possible to areas outside of the old Spanish Territories through the freighters and travelers from Missouri. His route on the second trip, with wagons instead of pack animals, would become the Santa Fe Trail.

At the time the Santa Fe Trail was opened, the fiercest Indians of America claimed this area. The Osage, Kiowa, Apache, Cheyenne, Arapahoe, Utes, or some other far traveling tribes could be encountered as the wagons moved west. Even if the Indians were not attacking, they were stealing livestock, looting camps, or demanding food. The merchants of Santa Fe and Albuquerque were quick to take advantage of the trade with America and some entered into partnerships with the Missouri traders to avoid the high tariffs set by the Mexican government. Many of the merchants from Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and Belen were sending their own trade wagons to Missouri by 1826. By 1843, more than half the trade wagons crossing the plains belonged to New Mexicans. Santa Fe had become the port of entry for trade goods destined to Mexico and California.

The Mexican post office was closed when General Kearny captured Santa Fe on August 18, 1846. Fort Marcy was immediately established and a military mail system was installed and served the area until the Santa Fe Post Office was established in 1849. The fort was established just north and east of the plaza to protect Santa Fe from any civil riots following the occupation. A military type Pony Express was established between forts in addition to the private carriers. The mail was carried by travelers and traders and was deposited in the first post office they came to. All of the mail was sent postage due until the Santa Fe Post Office was established. The first mail contract was awarded to Waldo, Hall and Company in 1850 to deliver mail monthly, by stagecoach, between Independence and Santa Fe.

In 1851, a mail route was awarded to Henry Skillman to deliver mail between Santa Fe and San Antonio, Texas, via El Paso. Mail was received from this route every other month until January of 1853 when the service was increased to once a month. New mail service was established with Denver, Colorado, when a stage route contract was signed in September of 1862. The' route came through Bent's Fort to Santa Fe. Santa Fe was the hub for supplies and mail for the New Mexico Territory. Routes were established to provide mail to new post offices and forts. About 1875, a mail and supply route was established to Fort Wingate and Prescott, Arizona. For a short time, Tom Horn, a famous gun fighter, worked as a driver on this line.

The railroad finally arrived in Santa Fe County in 1879. The citizens watched in disbelief as the tracks reached Lamy and turned south toward Albuquerque. The capital city, which had given its name to the railroad, had been bypassed by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad. Local merchants, bankers, and Bishop John Lamy exerted enough political pressure to get a $150,000 bond issue passed to build a branch line into Santa Fe. On February 16, 1880, Santa Fe received its first train. Railway Post Office (RPO) service started almost immediately. Santa Fe now received and dispatched all of the mail on the trains.

The Denver and Rio Grande Railroad was completed into Espanola in December of 1880. once again the residents of Santa Fe had to take measures into their own hands to receive railroad service. The construction of the tracks was completed from Santa Fe to Espanola and service was started on January 1887. The completion of the Chili Line provided RPO service to connections in Denver and west to Durango, Farmington and Salt Lake City. This service was a definite improvement in mail service for Santa Fe County.

It is not clear why the New Mexico Central Railroad was ever built between Santa Fe and Torrance. The line was completed in 1903 and provided, service only three days a week. The RPO did connect to other railroads at Willard and Torrance but this would not have improved mail service since connections were already available at Lamy. The RPO car was discontinued after eleven years but closed pouch service did continue. By the middle 1930s, only the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad was still serving Santa Fe. Highway Contract Routes had beep established to Lamy, Albuquerque and Las Vegas- to replace the train service. A route to Chama was established to supplement the trains and provide mail service to the post offices on the route.

Airmail arrived in Santa Fe in 1948 with Air Mail Route #64 out of Dallas, Texas. Route #2, from Chicago and New York, soon followed. These routes were both with transcontinental commercial airlines contracted to carry Air Mail. Around 1950, a contract route was established to carry mail to Los Alamos. Prior to this, the mail was picked up by military personnel at the Santa Fe Post Office.

With the introduction of ZIP Code, Santa Fe became a Sectional Center Facility in 1963 and was responsible for processing and dispatching mail to all of the offices in the 875 ZIP Code area. The contract routes were increased or extended to provide mail service to all of the offices.

Postmasters:

OTOWI / LOS ALAMOS

Established as Otowi
Albert J. Connell November 9, 1920
Laurent A. Rousseau July 15, 1935
Name Changed to Los Alamoa April 1, 1941
Roy E. Schoen (acting) February 24, 1943
Ismael Trujillo (acting) May 16, 1947
Oswaido Montoya (acting) December 20, 1951
Frederick J.-Roach June 19, 1952
Hoyt E. Wolcoxon Jr. (acting) August 22, 1955
Margaret R. Lucero February 29, 1956
Gerald Carter (OIC) May 29, 1981

Howard W. Riche September 5, 1981
Jane M. Etsitty (OIC) September 8, 1988
Jeannette A. Williams (OIC)' November 4, 1988
Alan R. Wright (OIC.) January 19, 1989
Earlene R. Rummel March 25, 1989
Gary D. Rutledge (OIC) March 2, 1992
David E. Naranjo (OIC) April 18, 1992
Robert L. Olen June 27, 1992
Daniel J. Hollinger (OIC) August 29, 1998
James H. Eskridge February 27, 1999

BONANZA CITY
Samuel Hull August 26, 1880
James F. Callander February 19, 1883

BUCKMAN
Harry S. Buckman June 22, 1899
Discontinued - January 15, 1903
Thomas J. Sawyer June 1, 1912
Charles Burton July 24, 1915
Lenna A. Stark October 31, 1917
Everett T. Mallery September 25, 1922

CANONCITO
Nestor Roibal September 30, 1879

CARNAHAN
Nellie Louise Dean February 8, 1927
William C. Gladin July 10, 1928

CERRILLOS

George A. Walker June 29, 1880
George W. Parker January 31, 1881
Willis R. Follis February 22, 1881
Joseph Richards July 26, 1881
John L. Jenks January 24, 1890
Charles Lyon June 28, 1893
Oliver Marsh July 10, 1895
Fletcher H. Mitchell August 28, 1897
Austin L. Kendall February 6, 1900
Thomas De Lallo October 3, 1907
William Tarring February 28, 1908
Milton E. Newhouse April 6, 1918
Joe M. GranitoJ anuary 3, 1925
Mrs. Salomon Armijo (act) November 14, 1934

Euphie (Armijo) Pulliom October 28, 1935
Lupita Sandoval April 7, 1938
May G. Padilla (act) May 17, 1943
Lupita Sandoval September 30, 1943
Frank P. Mares (act) May 1, 1953
Mary Y. Salazar August 3, 1954
Sidney L. Franklin March 18, 1960
Melba K. Garcia (act) July 25, 1962
Alice Lopez October 8, 1962
Demetrio Lucero (OIC) October 1, 1992
Evangeline Martinez (OIC) January 14, 1993
Joseph Sedillo April 3, 1993
Evangeline Martinez (OIC) August 20, 1997
Cheryl Menefee October 25, 1997

COWSPRING
Julio M. y Ortiz April 6, 1899
Vivian Garcia May 17, 1902

CUNDIYO
Noberto Vigil July 15, 1922
Elena T. Vigil October 23, 1936

DENNISON
Charles O. Hyer June 4, 1912

REAL DE DOLORES / DOLORAS
Real de Dolores
William H. Roberts March 1, 1869
Discontinued - March 25, 1870

DOLORES
Alfred J. Wolf March 17, 1887
Austin L. Kendall April 8, 1887
Edwin E. Sluder June 3, 1889
Discontinued - November 19, 1890
Hiram S. Haines March 12, 1894
George B. Hendricks July 30, 1895
William W. Atchison December 29, 1900

EDGEWOOD

BARTON
Helen L. (Caulk) Reeves August 11, 1936
William I. Davis (act) August 26, 1936
Name changed to Edgewocd October 1, 1936
Opal (Williams) Bassett December 10, 1936
Vera Garnett Adkins January 7, 1943
Melba E. Baker February 1, 1946
Roberta L. Horton December 1, 1946
Gracial W. Parker January 1, 1948

Faye N. (Thomas) King April 30, 1952
Vera G. Henry May 30, 1975
Carolyn A. Purkiss (OIC) February 22, 1978
Virginia A. Davis January 13, 1979
Vicki Voyles (OIC) August 7, 1997
Mary Lou Munoz (OIC) January 10, 1998
Debbie Weisberg (OIC) May 29, 1998
Cynthia L. Wright (OIC) June 12, 1998
Vicki Voyles October 24, 1998

OTTO
Otto H. E. Goetz June 4, 1907
Allen B. Lasswell December 13, 1913
Archie C. Gilmer January 23,1, 1918
Mae Gilmer February 14, 1921
Verdie Norris March 9, 1922
Walter 0. Dent September 28, 1922

POJUAQUE
John Bouquet February 25, 1870
Mrs. Petra de L. Bouquet May 25, 1896
Evaristo F. Trujillo May 6, 1914

ROMERO
Carlos Romero April 4, 1895
Amado L. Baca March 7, 1899

SAN PEDRO

David L. Sammis May 16, 1881
John B. McGee March 3, 1882
William H. Patterson May 23, 1883
Discontinued February 4, 1884
George B. Chittenden March 14, 1888
William P. Cunningham July 21, 1888
Mana G. Griffin June 25, 1889
Niles J. Strumquist June 25, 1891

James Carruthers April 15, 1893
Niles J. Strumquist July 23, 1897
Mortimer Kaufmann July 27, 1901
William H. Williams March 13, 1902
Niles J. Strumquist January 9, 1903
Della Darrah September 16, 1911
Bias H. Garcia May 9, 1916

CANADA / SANTA CRUZ

William J. Davy February 4, 1852
Discontinued April 12, 1855
Patrick H. Kelly November 5, 1855
Discontinued January 30, 1857
Cesaria Remuzon September 5, 1878
Luciano Remuzon March 10, 1879
Jacob M. Aurandt December 1, 1879
Jose A. Lucero February 20, 1880
Jacob M. Aurandt January 4, 1881
Frank Becker February 15, 1882
Discontinued May 31, 1882
Jacob M. Aurandt June 21, 1886
Frank Becker April 29, 1891
Jacob M. Autandt March 22, 1902
Benjamin F. Morris September 26, 1905
Alfredo Lucero August 5, 1912
William J. Davy February 4, 1852
Discontinued April 12, 1855
Patrick H. Kelly November 5, 1855
Discontinued January 30, 1857
Cesaria Remuzon September 5, 1878
Luciano Remuzon March 10, 1879
Jacob M. Aurandt December 1, 1879
Jose A. Lucero February 20, 1880
Jacob M. Aurandt January 4, 1881
Frank Becker February 15, 1882

Discontinued May 31, 1882
Jacob M. Aurandt June 21, 1886
Frank Becker April 29, 1891
Jacob M. Autandt March 22, 1902
Benjamin F. Morris September 26, 1905
Alfredo Lucero August 5, 1912 J
Jose 1. Madrid November 3, 1919
Frank B. Lucero September 16, 1921
Alfredo Lucero (act) January 10, 1929
Alberto Borrego September 13, 1929
Genevieve 0. Delgado April 13, 1932
Michael P. Delgado April 15, 1933
Pablo Lopez December 3, 1935
Miss Rayitos Alarid December 31, 1942
Robert E. Lopez June 11, 1971
Inez P. Mendoza June 13, 1980
Oralia C. Filip August 15, 1980
Cheryl I. Menefee November 20, 1980
Eileen H. Porter April 4, 1981
Henry Ochoa June 4, 1983
Aurora T. Gonzales March 3, 1984
Ursula C. Ciddio June 30, 1989
Patricia J. Romero December 19, 1989
Victor P. Jaramillo September 8, 1990
Monica A. Casias November 20, 1992
Carlos A. Sanchez January 9, 1993

SANTA FE

William S. McKnight October 1, 1849
William E. Love February 12, 1851
William Andrew Miller April 7, 1852
David Whiting March 4, 1854
William A. Miller August 14, 1854
Lewis D. Sheets March 10, 1855
David V. Whiting June 4, 1855
Samuel K. Hodges August 1, 1861
Augustine M. Hunt October 15, 1861
Martin L. Byers October 17, 1865
George T. Martin March 12, 1868
Richard M. Stevens April 8, 1869
George W. Howland June 8, 1869
Alexander P. Sullivan May 23, 1871
Eben Everett May 28, 1872
Marshall A. Breeden February 13, 1873
Charles B. Hayward April 18, 1884
Adolph Seligman April 6, 1886
Jacob Weltmer March 24, 1890
Thomas P. Gable May 15, 1894
Simon Nusbaum May 19, 1898
Paul A. F. Walter June 27, 1902
Frank W. Shearon January 26, 1909
Samuel B. Grimshaw September 11, 1909

Edward C. Burke March 2, 1910
John Pflueger June 7, 1912
J. Howard Vaughn May 29, 1914
James L. Seligman October 1, 1914
Marie J. O'Bryan August 1, 1923
Frederick R. Stevenson October 5, 1928
Hilario A. Delgado December 31, 1928
Antonio F. Martinez November 13, 1934
Frank S. Ortiz October 15, 1953
Edward M. Berardinelli July 31, 1955
Eleuteric J. Martinez December 30, 1963
Ernest E. Maes March 31, 1978
James A. Cochrane February 1, 1979
Richard G. Maestas March 24, 1979
David E. Naranjo August 28, 1987
Edna Mae Kilmer January 30, 1988
Alvino Provencio May 11, 1990
Gene Saiz November 9, 1990
Ramon Brongil April 6, 1991
Gordon Deapen August 13, 1993
Hector Rodriquez January 8, 1997
Patrick X. Conrad July 24, 1997
J. R. Trujillo November 15, 1997
Hector Rodriquez December 6, 1997

STANLEY

Henry C. Tarr April 13, 1907
Edward Y. Park October 25, 1907
Edward D. Marshall March 30, 1909
George R. Camp May 7, 1910
Nellie M. Hughes December 9, 1912

Grover C. Gerhart March 5, 1918
Leonard C. Parker May 6, 1926
Elizabeth Gassman September 8, 1926
Mary B. Dennison June 17, 1935
Addie Jo (Isbell) Smith November 23, 1964

TESUQUE

Fred L. Dennis, Jr. April 15, 1938
Elizabeth D. Dennis September 5, 1940
Lillian H. Duncan May 15, 1941
Kathryn E. Chittum June 30, 1963
Thomas T. Knight May 17, 1965
Samuel A. Griego July 5, 1967

Merianne Martinez September 18, 1992
Roger Maestas October 5, 1992
Jennifer Brongil January 9, 1993
David Dikowski October 28, 1994
Paula McCann January 21, 1995

CARBONATEVILLE TURQUESA
Carbonateville:
Olivas V. Avy July 10, 1879
Discontinued - February 19, 1880

Turquesa:
Olivas V. Avy April 5, 1880
Samuel W. Bonner June 22, 1880
Harry Beckwith December 21, 1881
Harvey Beckwith January 11, 1882
Samuel W. Bonner February 1, 1882
Jordan B. Cattle September 22, 1882
Cyrus Wells August 24, 1888

VENUS
George N. Meltabarger February 10, 1909
James F. Coates March 31, 1917
Louie 0. Thornell November 3, 1920
Effie Miller August 12, 1921
Charles Allen July 27, 1925

WALDO
Stephen K. Wells May 20, 1919
William R. Harper April 22, 1921
G. Malpass Grubnau February 15, 1923
Victor Carl Grubnau January 30, 1925
Esther T. Grubnau February 6, 1925
Victor Carl Grubnau February 24, 1926
Ida Mae Brown December 11, 1929

EMMEDIO
Jose L. Jimenez September 12, 1932

GALISTEO

Ambrosio Pino December 19, 1876
Discontinued October 18, 1880
Henry B. Wirtz March 12, 1883
Discontinued September 19, 1883
Josephine Beckwith August 12, 1884
Discontinued June 4, 1885
Francisco Chavez May 2, 1888
Jesus M. H. Alarid July 24, 1888
Discontinued January 14, 1889
Justiniano Leyba July 11, 1893
Jose Ortiz y Pino January 26, 1904
Jesus M. H. Alarid September 10, 1906

Federico Gonzales May 2, 1912
Amadeo A. Sanchez June 11, 1918
Adelicia B. Chavez November 9, 1921
Marcelina A. Sanchez (act) January 11, 1924
Tabita Sanchez June 12, 1924
Amadeo A. Sanchez August 11, 1928
Marcelina Sanchez December 16, 1932
Tomas Pena (act) October 10, 1938
Miss Remedias Pena June 26, 1939
Crecencio M. Anaya October 22, 1947
Alejandro E. Valencia March 18, 1950
Mary J. Anaya February 10, 1956
Mela A. Montoya (act) August 18, 1958

LA GLORIETA / GLORIETA

George Hebert January 6, 1875
Discontinued January 30, 1880
Elijah H. Pattison May 4, 1880
Discontinued August 12, 1880
Gideon M. Tomlinson November 9, 1880
Adam J. Hager May 4, 1881
Joseph Routledge December 28, 1882
John W. Harrison May 7, 1900
Discontinued February 14, 1903
Thomas E. Marshall February 25, 1903
Henry W. O'Donnell November 14, 1904
Oliver H. John March 13, 1906

Walter M. Taber August 25, 1906
Henry N. DeYapp October 14, 1918
Francis E. Epps February 2, 1920
Henry Pick November 18, 1927
Pearl A. Currier July 8, 1934
Dorothy F. Robinson May 1, 1939
Amie A. Robinson November 8, 1943
Salomon L. Gonzales, Jr. November 30, 1960
Mary Alice Lobato (OIC) April 20, 1989
Deborah (Cummings) Weisberg July 1, 1989
Irene Etter (OIC) April 29, 1993
Richard Wilson November 13, 1993

GOLDEN

Robert G. McDonald July 2, 1880
James D. Hudson March 10, 1881
William N. Emmert June 18, 1883
Ellen J. Clarke September 17, 1885
Samuel W. Paxson March 8, 1888
Services Suspended February 28, 1889
Frank S. Frazier June 1, 1889
Samuel G. Wright June 19, 1893
Robert M. Carley September 9, 1897

Joseph N. Carley October 7, 1904
Jesse B. Livesay February 16, 1905
Carter Livesay June 16, 1910
EsColastico Martinez June 22, 1911
Discontinued March 15, 1913
William H. Dicks November 18, 1916
Della D. Aranda December 4, 1920
Henry G. Green January 29, 1925

HOBART
William E. Van Volkenburgh May 19, 1894
Edward F. Hobart October 19, 1895
William H. Hough October 22, 1897
Marion C. Hobart April 20, 1898
William H. Hough September 6, 1901
Henry J. Johnson April 9, 1909
Frederic S. Blackman September 13, 1910

HYER
Charles O. Hyer January 7, 1908
Samuel Hadlock May 26, 1911
Albert A. Brown October 30, 1914
Lee Ward June 23, 1919
Albert A. Brown February 9, 1923
May VanScoyk January 10, 1925

ILDEFONZO
Jose E. Gomez August 14, 190
Discontinued March 15, 1907
Cristino Montoya March 22, 1907
Donaciano Gonzales December 21, 1909
Jose B. Espinosa August 8, 1911
Felipita Espinosa March 10, 1913
Sostena T. Gomez March 6, 1914

JUANA LOPEZ
Nicolas Pino December 10, 1866

KENNEDY
Otto L. Rice May 31, 1902
Benton S. Jackson April 20, 1904
John R. Bean January 12, 1905
Benito Seiler October 7, 1905
Guy V. Fisher June 29, 1906

LA BAJADA
Filomeno Gallegos July 27, 1870
Juan Hovey October 30, 1871
Discontinued March 25, 1872
Robert E. Bradford June 12, 1872

LA CIENEGA
Apolonio Rael April 17, 1906

LAMY

Daniel A. Phillips March 1, 1881
Discontinued July 13, 1881
John Stein February 8, 1884
Charles Haspelmath June 5, 1886
John S. Barnum November 1, 1887
Charles Haspelmath September 8, 1888
John S. Barnum December 30, 1889
R. Burdell Thomas April 29, 1891

Charles S. Mace February 16, 1892
Charles Haspelmath April 15, 1893
John Pflueger July 24, 1895
Candido Duran March 21, 1911
Thomas W. Hanna April 3, 1912
Belle H. Frank September 27, 1933
Leo Pick January 7, 1943
Frank 0. Villanueva August 22, 1950

MADRID

Joseph H. Coleman March 27, 1896
Joanna Harries April 15, 1896
Abel Garcia August 25, 1897
Mayme B. Carter February 6, 1901
James Wood March 10, 1902
Edward J. Thompson December 12, 1902
Gustave Olson December 9, 1903
Discontinued January 31, 1906
William H. Chamberlin September 18, 1906
Robert T. Hynd March 5, 1909
Florence C. Hynd June 17, 1911
Frank S. Hess March 4, 1912

Herman I. Millenbaugh September 7, 1912
James M. Terry September 16, 1916
Fred W. Van Ness May 6, 1918Albert C. Harness April 4, 1919
Arthur W. Lyckman April 19, 1921
Edmund C. Weidinger January 24, 1923
Jesse Coffin Brown February 11, 1924
Karl L. Milam October 29, 1924
Charles E. Gibbbs February 12, 1927
Troy Meadows August 1, 1949
Joseph R. Husler June 11, 1953
Glen Tyson June 9, 1959
Mary E. Tyson December 30, 1964

NAMBE
Miguel Herrera April 16, 1901

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