Arabela
Oscura / Oscuro
Arabela
Mary Louise Joiner
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The little village of Arabela is nestled at the very eastern tip of the Capitan Mountain. For many years the community was known as "Los Palos" or "the sticks". Many of the older residents still refer to Arabella as Los Palos. Legend has it that the settlement became Arabela when a lady took care of the mail whose given name was Arabela.
Andrew M. Richardson was the first postmaster. He was appointed on February 15, 1901. He has many descendants still living in the area, though none seem to remember anything of note about the post office. The next postmaster was Leopoldo Pacheco, who was appointed on March 14, 1907 and continued as postmaster until the office discontinued on April 30, 1928. The Hondo, N. Mex. post office acquired the office equipment in January 1938 and used it for several years. The mail is now delivered by carried from Tinnie, N. Mex.
Oscura
Roy Harman
Oscura was another post office that came into being because of a railroad pump station. The El Paso and North Eastern Railroad, now Southern Pacific, had built a siding and drilled a well from which water was pumped for its locomotives. March 28, 1901 the office was established to serve the community that sprang up at the pumping station and was named for the mountains to the west. George A. Galucia was the first postmaster. Six years later then office was abolished in February only to be re-established in the fall by a group of people from Chicago who became interested in the area.
Closed in 1932 it was again re-opened in1946 but only for a short while. Exact dates are hazy and not all the names of Postmasters are available, but Mrs. Verna Stoneman was Postmaster in 1946 and when she resigned and moved to Colorado, the office was again abolished.
The Following are names of Postmasters and dates of their commission that were available.:
| Geo. A. Galucia Mar. 28, 1901 | Marguerite L. Gray Apr. 19, 1921 |
| Eliza J. Galucia Sept. 6, 1901 | Charles F. Grey Sept. 25, 1923 |
| John C. Marquez June 12, 1903 | Lillie M. Brown Sept. 21, 1927 |
| Charles G. Rafferty, Nov 1, 1907 | Maggie N. Brazil June 5, 1929 |
| Joseph Ashford July 20, 1908 | Ollie E. Kimmons June 2, 1930 |
| John H. Boyd May 17, 1913 | Ollie Robinson Nov. 13, 1930 |
| Robert W. Burn July 29, 1915 | William W. Wettstein Nov. 24, 1931 |
| Charles G. Grey Feb. 3, 1919 | Vena Stoneman 1946 |
| Res. Nov. 5, 1947 |
Transcribed by C. W. Barnum ©2005