This index to the Record of appointment of postmasters, 1832-1971: Colorado, collection provides the description of what each reel covers. Government Information MAY NOT hold all of these reels. The record in the library catalog describes the extent of our holdings. For help, or to make an appointment to view a reel, email rad@colorado.edu
The record shows the dates of establishment and discontinuance of post offices, their changes of name, and the names of and appointment dates for their postmasters. Beginning in 1870, it shows the names of post offices to which mail from discontinued offices was sent. The record also shows the dates of Presidential appointments of postmasters and their confirmation dates by the Senate; usually the dates that post offices were authorized to issue money orders; and occasionally the dates on which the locations of offices were changed. Until 1844 the names of sureties for postmasters and the dates and amounts of their bonds are also given.
The record consists of 181 manuscript volumes divided along the approximate periods 1832-42, 1843-57, 1858-73, 1874-89, 1890-1929, and 1930-September 30, 1971. Each volume usually contains the record for more than one State or territory, but the States and territories are not usually listed alphabetically. The record for each of these periods is arranged by name of State (territory, possession, etc.), there-under alphabetically by name of county (parish, district, etc.), and there-under by name of post office. The post office names, with the exception of those for the period 1930-September 30, 1971, are arranged in two lists. The first list is arranged alphabetically by name of post office, the second chronologically by the date of establishment, change of name, change of State or county, or occasionally reestablishment of post office. For the period after 1930 the names are arranged alphabetically, one name on a page.
In this publication the entire record (1832-1971) has been filmed in alphabetical order by State (territory, possession, etc,), and there-under by county (parish, district, etc.). The record for post offices whose counties are not shown precedes the alphabetical county sequence. Also, because of changes in political boundaries, information concerning some post offices is reproduced in the records for more than one territory, State, or county. Notable examples of this are the Indian Territory (Oklahoma) offices established in Arkansas, District of Columbia offices established in both Maryland and Virginia, and North and South Dakota post offices established in Dakota Territory.
To compile the history of a post office, first select the appropriate State roll and turn to the county in which the office was established. If the name of the office is in one of the chronological lists for the county, it can usually be presumed to be a new office. If its name or location had not been changed, or if the office had not been reestablished, its history is continued thereafter in succeeding frames in the alphabetical list for its county. If the earliest name of a post office is unknown, it can sometimes be found by beginning at the last frame for the county in which it is located and then successively viewing earlier frames for the county until another name or location is shown for that office. If the name of the office is in the first alphabetical list for its county, its earlier history is given in the record of appointment of postmasters for the period 1780-1832, which is also among the National Archives of the United States. Errors and variants in spelling of names of States, counties, post offices, and postmasters occasionally occur in the records, and some entries are partly or wholly illegible. It is, however, sometimes possible to verify or to reconstruct these entries by referring to other postal records in the National Archives holdings.
The spreadsheet attached below contains a reel-by-reel description of the complete collection.