Socorro County Post Office History
This Project made possible by James W. White
Transcribed by C. W. Barnum ©2005
Return To Main Page Socorro County Post Offices
Arranged by date of establishment
 

Socorro served as an important stop for travelers on the Camino Real and the mail for the Spanish settlers was delivered by the Spanish supply trains from Mexico City and later from Chihuahua. This Mission Supply Service was established in 1609. It made a round trip between Mexico City and Santa Fe once every three years.
Because of the Indians, changes were made to send the mail 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.
Socorro was used as a rest stop. Neither the Spanish nor the Mexicans established a post office in Socorro. Official documents, mail and supplies would have been left at the mission. By 1805 mail was leaving the first of April, July, September and November. In 1815 a monthly mail service was established to carry mail from Santa Fe to El Paso.
After the Mexican Revolution in 1821, the Mexican Government allowed trade with the United States. With the start of the Santa Fe Trail, Socorro received much of its merchandise and mail from Santa Fe. After the capture of New Mexico in 1846, there were no authorized mail routes going into the southern part of the territory until November 1, 1851. Until the stage route was established between San Antonio, Texas and Santa Fe, the mail was delivered outside the mails by military post riders and the freighter's wagons. A route was added to the west from Socorro to Patterson (Catron County) three days a week. Another route arrived in San Antonio, New Mexico, from Roswell.
The mail continued to be delivered by the stage route until July of 1880 when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad reached Socorro. The stage route was then discontinued and the mail was delivered by the Railway Post Office (RPO) car. Mining and railroad towns were starting all around the area and Socorro soon began to emerge as the central town that the other communities would rely on for services and support. A mail contract was awarded October 15, 1880, to deliver mail to the communities between Socorro and Fort Stanton.
In December of 1884, a railroad line was completed from Socorro to Magdalena with a spur line added to Kelly. Another line was added from San Antonio to Carthage with the stage route continuing to Roswell.
By 1902 the route between San Antonio and Roswell had been abolished due to the completion of the railroad from El Paso to Santa Rosa. Mail could now be routed from almost anywhere in the state by rail to Socorro. A stage route from San Marcial to the new Rosedale Post Office was established in 1899.
Very few changes occurred in the transportation through the early 1900's. A route out of the Oscuro Post Office in Lincoln County had been authorized in 1909 to carry mail to the new Murray Post Office in the eastern part of Socorro County. Short contract routes were established, changed or discontinued within the county as offices were added and closed.
In 1916 a Special Supply Route was approved from the Mountainair Post Office in Torrance County to provide mail to the newly established Rayo Post Office in the northeastern part of the county. In the 1930's, Socorro began receiving mail from an automobile route established out of the Las Cruces Post Office. This route provided mail to offices along the Rio Grande that were not on the railroad. A new automobile route was established between San Antonio and Roswell.
About 1940, the railroad line to Magdalena stopped carrying mail and a star route between Magdalena and Springerville, Arizona, was extended to Socorro. Other routes were established to supplement the rail services to the post off ices between Socorro and Belen on June 10, 1946, the mail contract from Roswell to San Antonio was extended to terminate in Socorro. Socorro had seen it all as far as mail delivery goes. Carretas, mule caravans, Spanish military couriers, wagon trains, stage coaches, U.S. Military express riders (to Fort Craig), railroads, automobiles trucks and airplanes had all transported mail to Socorro. Socorro County received its first Air Mail flight when Route 29 was extended from Albuquerque to El Paso with a stop in Socorro. The first plane to carry Air Mail from Socorro departed on March 31, 1950.
In the mid 1950's a Highway Contract Route (HCR) was established between Albuquerque and El Paso with a stop in Socorro. The route between Las Cruces and Socorro was then abolished. The RPO service between Albuquerque and El Paso was discontinued in 1965. Socorro, along with all the other post offices south of Albuquerque, was now dependent on the HCR service to provide mail transportation. ZIP Codes were created in 1963 and Socorro became a Sectional Center Facility responsible for the mail processing and transportation within the 878 boundary. Since Socorro had already become the hub for mail transportation, no major changes had to be made. Since that time, only the dispatch and arrival times have been changed as needed. Socorro now receives the bulk of its mail from the Albuquerque Plant.

Postmasters:
ABEYTAS
Gregorio Abeyta October 29, 1918
Lucian Abeyta December 20, 1935
Felix Abeyta August 1, 1942
Miss Bennie Jaramillo March 14, 1943
ADOBE
Ester L. Griffin May 10, 1933
AMERICAN VALLEY
Charles F. Jewett May 27, 1887
AUGUSTINE
William W. Zahnley November 14, 1927
Harrison J. Martin March 1, 1930
Bertha A. Zahnley November 24, 1931 
Mabel Walker November 8, 1937 
Nena Boggus February 20, 1939
Mabel S. Cappel June 18, 1947
Kittie Mae Harris November 18, 1947
BERNARDO
Oscar Liffreing May 31, 1902 
BINGHAM
Sam Bingham August 15, 1934 
Mabel Dean (acting) September 18, 1935
Robert H. Dean January 1, 1936
Helen L. Wrye July 1, 1977
BURLEY
Nelson A. Field April 29, 1901
Jose Maria Sanchez June 16, 1904
Nelson A. Field July 28, 1905
Theophilus W. Medley July 18, 1906
Bertha M. Jones March 3, 1910
Jose M. Jaramillo June 30, 1911 
Lillie Coe February 25, 1914
CARTHAGE