Oklahoma, Indian Territory and Oklahoma Territory Maps

Post Office Records - NARA

Paula E. Rabkin
Research Associate
Postal History Corporate Information Services
United States Postal Service
Washington, D.C.

[U.S. Postal Service records address as of March 17, 1995]

The current US Postal Service has very little on past operations of the former Post Office Department. If you contact the USPS headquarters in Washington, they can tell you when the Post Master was appointed and the date (s)he resigned or was replaced.

Records of the old Post Office Department are now record group 38 in the National Archives, original ledgers of postmaster appointments show only the appointment dates.

"Post Office Site Reports" have been microfilmed. Periodically the Post Office Department would request that a Post Master fill out a form that described the location of his office usually in relation to other offices, railroads, rivers, etc. They also requested a map - hand drawn usually, varying greatly in quality). These were used to create the Department postal route maps. If a person was Post Master for any length of time, it is likely that he filed at least one of these reports. The Post Office Site Report form will not tell you anything about the Post Master, but you can obtain a copy of some interesting documents written in his own hand. Every office will not necessarily have these reports, some were never filed or not kept, thus every Post Master may not be on file.

The entire microfilm of the records is several hundred rolls. Try interlibrary loan on the microfilm for the set of county of interest.

     Maps available through OSU Library Special Collections, for a small copying charge.  You may call (405) 744-6311 to inquire about cost and shipping.
     You will note there are some that are the same year - they were prepared by different map makers/surveyors and/or varying agencies of the U.S. Gov't.  Details will vary. Where available scale is noted after size. John Berry

I.T.=Indian Territory