Bingham Post Office
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This page last updated on August 19, 2024.
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Overview
(The focus of this page is to gather on one place as much information about the post offices in Bingham Canyon, and to have a place to add new information.)
Some researchers may designate the town's post office as the center of town. But in Bingham's case, there were four post offices, each in a different location.
The modern Bingham Canyon post office was completed in 1933, located at 407 Main Street, across from the Utah Copper Hospital. The modern post office remained in daily use until 1962 when its function was moved down-canyon to Copperton. The building and land were sold to Kennecott Copper, which continued to use the building for a variety of office functions until the building was demolished to make way for expansion of mining operations.
Tim Dumas wrote in his 2024 book, "Bingham Canyon."
Construction of the new Bingham Canyon Post Office took place in 1933. A large parcel of land from the 1924 fire remained vacant for nine years. The first post office started in 1870, in a building just above the junction of Main Street and Carr Fork. The second post office was on the ground floor of the Golden Rule Store (later the J. C. Penney Company). The third post office was in Society Hall (it had a roof awning) in the 1920s. The last post office was located at 407 Main Street.
The following comes from Marion Dunn's book, "Bingham Canyon," published in 1973.
It was natural for the citizens of the town to turn to the post office after the run on the bank. The post office was a friend. Many of the residents of Bingham Canyon came from Europe or the Far East. The post office brought them letters from the homeland and delivered letters to friends and relatives who had stayed behind. The post office employees in Bingham Canyon had a long record of outstanding service from the camp days to the town's end and this record was well established by the end of World War I.
The first post office operated in the camp in 1870, and Thomas Matthews was postmaster. Joseph Goddard handled the mail the same year. Fred J. Kiesel was postmaster in 1872, and Isador Morris had the post office in a corner of his store from 1874 to 1884.
It was moved to the Phelan and Hays store in 1885, with Patrick Phelan as postmaster. Bernard Quinn took over the postmaster duties the same year and handled the mail until 1890, when Peter Clay took charge. C. H. Roberts was postmaster from 1891 until 1894 when Francis W. Quinn served until 1898, at which time Roberts again assumed the duties. Roberts remained in charge until 1915, and built the first post office in 1907. This was a small building up from the Bingham Merc.
The old Union Hall, built by early union men, was now an apartment on the left side of the street and just above it was an apartment house that had once been the site of a livery stable and had housed the post office.
C. L. Countryman became postmaster in 1915. Archie Stuart took over from 1921 to 1924 and Boyd J. Barnard served from 1924 until 1933. W. L. James was postmaster from 1933 until 1937 when his son, Earl T. James was appointed in his place. Amy Snow served as acting postmaster for awhile and in 1957, Ed Johnson was appointed to the post.
The post office was moved from its first location to the Society Hall down Main Street, then to the old Federal Apartment building where it remained until the new post office was built across from the Utah Copper Hospital in 1933. It remained there until it was moved to Copperton on December 10, 1962.
The Bingham post office can claim a first and a last in U.S. postal service history. When it was established as a rural route in 1900, it was the first such route authorized outside of a farming region. When carriers started delivering mail in the canyon, they rode over their route on horseback and Bingham was the last town in the country to deliver mail by horseback. Thus, Irvin Stillman and Louie Kolman who still made the rounds on horseback in the late 1930's, were the last of their kind. For many years, one of the most cherished chores for boys in Bingham was the task of riding the mail horse from the livery stable on Railroad Avenue to the Federal Apartment building in the morning so it would be available for the carrier. Kolman was a small man with a humpback and when he loaded the mail bags around the saddle and then climbed onto the horse, it was hard to tell whether he was sitting in the saddle or in one of the bags of mail. Other carriers who served in Bingham Canyon include Guy Baum, R. I. Farrell, Dee Johanson and Frank Shafter. Among the long-time employees in the post office were Althea Christensen, Ivy Hull, and John Creedon.
In 1916, the rural route was discontinued and city delivery inaugurated. The fact that Bingham Canyon's mail carrier continued to make his rounds on horseback long after other towns discouraged this means of transportation is not surprising to anyone who lived in the canyon. Bingham's mail carrier had to travel on mountain trails, go up and down gulches and in general cover one of the most exhausting routes in the service. So, the horse was the answer.
Timeline
March 1874
The U. S. Post Office established the first dedicated mail route between Salt Lake City and Bingham Canyon in March 1874. In accordance with an act of Congress on June 8, 1872, bids to operate the 26-mile route, three times per week, were to be submitted by February 2, 1874, with the decision as to the successful bid to be made on or before March 2, 1874. (Deseret News, November 22, 1873)
July 18,1907
"Bingham - July 18. - Work on the new postoffice building is being pushed with all possible speed. A carload of cement arrived yesterday to be used in the building, which will be two stories high and will cost $10,000." (Salt Lake Telegram, July 18, 1907)
November 10, 1907
"New Postoffice For Bingham. - Martin Benson, the contractor, returned last evening from Bingham canyon, where he has been engaged in looking after the erection of the new postoffice building. The structure is practically completed. Its cost is about $10,000." (Salt Lake Herald, November 10, 1907)
In a Salt Lake County property map of Bingham Canyon dated October 19, 1898, the Society Hall is labeled, and across the street to the north and a short distance up-canyon, are two parcels shown as belonging to C. H. Roberts. One is shown as the Hotel Roberts. One of these two parcels is likely the location of the building that Roberts had built to house the postoffice from 1907-1914.
September 30, 1914
"Bingham Postoffice May Move. - The proposal of the Bingham Society Hall association to lease quarters in its building in Bingham canyon for the Bingham postoffice is reported to have been accepted by the postoffice department at Washington. The present postoffice in Bingham has been situated in an old building in the mining settlement for ten years." (Salt Lake Herald, September 30, 1914)
April 25, 1916
"Bingham Federal Building Certain - Washington. April 25. - The senate yesterday passed Sutherland's bill authorizing the purchase of a site and erection of a postoffice building at Bingham canyon at a cost of not more than $75,000." (Salt Lake Telegram, April 25, 1916)
June 19, 1920
"Postoffice At Bingham Will Establish Branch - Bingham. June 19. - As soon as supplies arrive a contract station of the Bingham postoffice will be established at Copperfield. It will be located at the Miners' Mercantile company store and H. B. Aven will be in charge." (Salt Lake Tribune, June 19, 1920)
July 17, 1922
"Postoffice Sought - Bingham. July 17. - Copperfield citizens held a mass meeting Friday night [July 14] at which it was decided to attempt to secure a postoffice. At present the town is served by a mounted carrier and only one delivery is made each day." (Deseret News, July 17, 1922)
January 28, 1925
"Postoffice at Bingham Is To Have New Home - Bingham. Jan. 27. - Harry Steele, having procured a contract from the postoffice department, will at once erect a concrete building 40x90 feet on the site of the present Utah feed stable. The government lease on the Society hall having expired, the owners would not renew the lease at the present rate and make changes requested by the postoffice department. The new building will be ready within ninety days and will cost about $25,000." (Salt Lake Tribune, January 28, 1925)
January 31, 1925
"A new home for the Bingham Post Office has started this week. The Government lease on Society Hall will expire within the next seventy days and a new building will have to be built to take its place. The contract for the building of a new post office was accepted by the Government from Harry Steele who immediately on being notified started removing the building known as the Utah Feed stable. Mr. Steele will erect a new concrete building 40 by 90 feet at a cost of practically $25,000.00 which will have to be ready for occupancy by that date." (Bingham News, January 31, 1925)
January 21, 1927
"Bingham Kiwanis Club Seeks Federal Building - Bingham. Jan. 20. - The Kiwanis club Thursday sent telegrams to the Utah congressional delegation at Washington asking that Bingham be considered for the $75,000 appropriation for a new federal building which is available to come to a Utah city, according to a Washington dispatch printed in The Tribune Tuesday. At present the postoffice building in Bingham is being leased and a new building is much needed, according to members of the Kiwanis club. The postoffice receipts are approximately $14,000, it is estimated." (Salt Lake Tribune, January 21, 1927)
April 19, 1928
Members of the Bingham Kiwanis club received a letter from Senator Reed Smoot that Bingham would likely be the fourth of four cities selected to receive a new federal building, which would include a new postoffice. The other three cities were Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Price. Smoot stated that the Architect of the Treasury had agreed to include Bingham in the coming year's program. (Bingham Bulletin, April 19, 1928)
(The needed appropriation of $75,000 for a new federal building at Bingham was not in the Treasury department's "public building appropriation list" budget request for fiscal year 1929 and 1930, as was learned by Senator Smoot and reported to the Kiwanis club committee. On February 23, 1931, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved Smoot's amendment for a new postoffice building at Bingham.)
March 4, 1931
The U. S. Congress passed an appropriation bill that included funding for a new post office in Bingham Canyon. The need for a new Post Office building had been approved in 1928 by the Treasury Department, and Utah's senator and representative began working to secure funding by various legislative means in 1931. (Bingham Bulletin, February 26, 1931; March 12, 1931, citing a telegram received from Senator Reed Smoot)
March 19, 1931
The Treasury asked for bids for a site of a new post office at Bingham, with bids to be submitted to Washington by April 8, 1931. (Bingham Bulletin, March 19, 1931)
October 29, 1931
The Salt Lake City firm of Scott & Welch were selected as the architects of the new Bingham post office. (Ogden Standard Examiner, October 29, 1931)
(C. W. Scott and George W. Welch - Salt Lake Tribune, October 30, 1931)
September 14, 1932
Bids for the construction of the new Bingham post office were to be opened in Washington on September 14, 1932, with the contract to likely be awarded on October 1st. (Salt Lake Tribune, August 19, 1932)
October 27, 1932
Herbert M. Baruch, Ltd. Corp., of Los Angeles was awarded the contract for the construction of the new Bingham post office. (Bingham Bulletin, October 27, 1932)
(Work began on the new Post Office with the clearing of the site in December 1932, after securing the needed architectural designs and engineering approvals, as well as establishing clear title to the site selected. Excavations had been completed and concrete form work started by the time of a report on January 5, 1933.)
December 8, 1933
The new Bingham post office was completed on December 8, 1933. Work has started on November 5, 1932.
(Salt Lake Tribune, December 10, 1933)
July 7, 1934
"Light Posts Placed At New Postoffice - Bingham - Finishing touches in the form of two handsome light posts have been installed at the entrance to Bingham's new $75,000 postoffice building. The light posts weigh 700 pounds each and are in the form of huge candles. One has been placed in each of the cement borders at the main entrance." (Salt Lake Telegram, July 7, 1934)
October 18, 1935
After the postoffice was moved, the ground floor of the Federal Apartment building was converted to a automobile agency selling Dodge and Plymouth automobiles. The upper floor remained as apartments. (Bingham Bulletin, October 18, 1935)
December 8, 1962
The Bingham Canyon Post Office was officially moved to its new location in Copperton on December 8, 1962. Kennecott later purchased the former post office site and building as surplus from the federal General Services Administration.
John Creedon Notes
John Creedon included the following small items about the Bingham Post Office in his weekly newspaper column, "Down Memory Lane." These newspaper columns, a total of 184 articles, appeared regularly in the Bingham Bulletin newspaper between 1960 and 1966.
-- A short distance above the junction, in the left hand gulch, the post office, main store and Justice of the Peace were located.
-- Federal Apartment building, built by Harry Steele many years ago to house the post office after it moved from the Society Hall building.
-- The building known as the Masonic Building was new and was built by Charles Roberts, Postmaster. His family lived upstairs and the post office occupied half of the ground floor. The Golden Rule Store was in the other half. The Golden Rule Store was Store No. 13 in the J.C. Penney system.
-- A few years later the post office moved across the street to the Society Hall and the Penney store moved up the street in a new building built by Guy Bolognese.
-- Society Hall (later known as B.C.O. Hall) was built about the turn of the century. No one seems sure of the date, but 1899 or 1900 seems to be the probable date of construction. The hall was built by the combined-resources of three lodges active in Bingham at that time. Society Hall was the home of all the fraternal orders that flourished in Bingham at that time. There was never a night that some lodge did not meet in this historic building. The Odd Fellow, Knights of Phythias; Italian Lodge, Maccabees, Eagles, Carpenters Union and many others met regularly in the Society Hall.
-- The first city delivery began in 1916. Of course the most familiar and longest to serve was Irv Stillman and he was one of the last to deliver mail by horseback in this section of the country. In those day, the horse got to know the route as well as the carrier.
Post Office Moves To Copperton (1962)
14 Dec 1962 - By John J. Creedon
Near sundown on Saturday, December 8, 1962, Old Glory was taken down from the flag pole atop the Post Office in Bingham Canyon , for the last time, and Bingham Canyon proper was without a post office for the first time in 90 years. The new office in Copperton opened for business Monday morning, December 10, proudly bearing the name of its predecessor in the canyon. Old timers and those who loved and cared about the old town are happy that the Post Office Department saw fit to preserve the historic name for the new facility.
First notice of a post office in Bingham Canyon was noted in 1870, and in my column, the name of Warren Hickman was mentioned as postmaster in 1871. Other men filling this office prior to 1874 were Thomas Mathews, Joseph Goddard and Fred Kiesel. Isador Morris seemed to be one of the first really established postmasters. He served from 1874 to 1884. He was also one of the early merchants and I suppose operated the post office in conjunction with his store, which seemed to be the rule in small communities.
Other names along the line included: Peter Tavey, Patrick Phelan, Bernard Quinn, Peter Clay, Charles H. Roberts, F.W. Quinn, C.L. Countryman, Archibald Stuart, Boyd J. Bernard, M.L. James, Earl T. James, Amy R. Snow and Edwin W. Johnson, present postmaster. I knew these postmasters personally from Charles H. Roberts on to the present one, Ed Johnson. These men were all community leaders and contributed much to the progress and growth of Bingham Canyon.
Not only has there been several postmasters over the years, but the site of the post office has changed many times from 1870 to 1962. First mention of a post office was in the article recently placing the site on Main Street, just above the junction of Carr Fork and Main. I have seen a picture of the post office 1870's and it appeared to be just above the site of the Bingham Merc. on the west side of main street.
When I came to Bingham, the post office was in the building that last housed the Masonic Lodge and the Bingham Bulletin. I note from the records of the town, that permission was given to Charles H. Roberts to use a portion of the street at that point, for the purpose of erecting a new post office building. This was dated July 10, 1907, so the new building must have been in use by 1908. When we arrived in 1911, the post office was in the upper part of the ground floor and the Golden Rule Store, later to become J.C. Penney Store No. 13, occupied the lower section of the ground floor. Upstairs the Roberts family had their home.
Sometime in the early 1920's the post office was moved across the street to the ground floor of Society Hall, last known as BCO Hall. Next it was moved to a new building erected by Harry Steele, last known as the Federal Apartments. It remained there until 1933, when the present post office was built on the site of the Bourgard Fire of 1924.
The office erected by the Federal government was the finest building ever built in Bingham, and after nearly thirty years, it stands as solid as the day it was built. It has withstood the natural elements and the heavy shocks of the blasting. To this day there is hardly a discernible crack in the entire structure. At the time of its opening it was the envy of several towns and cities much larger than Bingham. It was a beautiful building with its polished marble lobby and tile floor and the high ceilings and roominess.
It was built and finished during the depression and it had a stormy beginning, as I remember it. For obvious reason, many of the leading citizens and most of the mining companies opposed the building of the post office. They tried to influence members of congress to stop the building.
These dissenters met a formidable force that opposed their views. These forces were public opinion, brought to a head through the voices of the city council, fire department, civic club and other church and civic groups. I remember being on a committee, who drafted a letter from the fire department, and of course my old friend, Irv Stillman was chairman of the committee.
Needless to say, we won out over this opposition and one of the main groups to spearhead the dissenters, folded its tents and silently passed into oblivion. The hardheads had a 50% batting average in that period. We got the post office and we lost the high school.
As mentioned previously, the building of this post office building stirred up some tempers and for a time it was touch and go, whether we would get the new facility or not. First it was the dissenters among our citizens and mining companies that opposed the building. Then some of the local citizens who were on the unemployed roster, wanted work on the construction. The contractor had his own force, but there was some compromise made and some local labor was employed. The government inspector made the contractor tear out the foundation and go deeper to bed rock for a permanent bearing. This dedication to duty by the inspector bore fruit, in the fact that the building is as sound today as the day it was built, nearly thirty years ago.
More colorful than the buildings that housed the post office were the men and women who worked there. Looking back over the roster of postmasters, you could follow the administration in Washington, if you knew the politics of these individuals. For example during the split terms of Grover Cleveland back in the 1890's, Charles H. Roberts, a Republican, served a term between the two reigns of Cleveland. In this interval we find Barney Quinn, Roberts, Francis W. Quinn and again Roberts, who incidentally served this time from 1898 to 1915, when C.L. Countryman, a Democrat, was appointed during the Wilson administration.
In later years, when Civil Service was supposed to remove postmasters from politics, the removal of postmasters was not so drastic, and you often find men of another party serving the community.
These postmasters did much more than their regular duties as head of the postal service in the town. They were the advisors and confidants of many of the citizens, particularly, our foreign born citizens who trusted the government servants.
These people brought their problems to the post office and they were for the most part taken care of courteously and efficiently. Their trust was not misplaced and many warm friendships were formed in this manner.
There was a friendly greeting for the customers not found in too many other offices. In fact I know of some offices near us that discourage this exchange of talk and banter. Not so at Bingham, where the post office was as friendly as the corner store.
Bingham Canyon post office had some firsts in the state also. In 1900 it became the first free delivery on the rural route other than in a farming community. In 1916 the rural route was replaced by city delivery.
Another item I am proud of, is the fact that the employees in the letter carrier division became members of the National Association of Letter Carriers in 1917 and have maintained that charter to the present time. Our union has had some stormy sailing with the politicians in Washington and in particular some of the Postmaster Generals, but a new day has dawned for the first time, our union has been recognized as the bargaining agent for many of the crafts in the postal service and we have the right to be heard without any reprisals.
In 1909 Bingham was the third post office in the state in volume of business and for many years was next to Salt Lake City in the Postal Savings department. After the bank failure in 1918, the Postal Savings soared to new heights and was the main banking facility for the good portion of the citizens.
Some of the employees with long service in the post office were R. I. Ferrell, Irv Stillman and D.F. Johanson, who served as letter carriers and the latter two serving as assistant postmasters. In the veteran clerk's there was Althea Christensen, who served nearly thirty years and Ivy Hull, with nearly twenty-five years, and the last assistant postmaster. And, I just realized that come April, 1963, I shall have twenty years service myself.
The Bingham Canyon Post Office (1963)
4 Jan 1963 - By John J. Creedon
Well the Christmas rush is over and I shall take up about the post office where I left off some two weeks ago.
Just read in last week's Bulletin that the Kennecott Copper Corporation had purchased the Bingham Canyon Post Office building and site from General Service Administration.
As mentioned previously, the building of this post office building stirred up some tempers and for a time it was touch and go, whether we would get the new facility or not.
First it was the dissenters among our citizens and mining companies that opposed the building. Then some local citizens who were on the unemployed roster, wanted work on the construction. The contractor had his own force but there was some compromise made and some local labor was employed. Then the government inspector made the contractor tear out the foundation and go deeper to bed rock for a permanent bearing. This dedication to duty by the inspector bore fruit, in the fact that the building is as sound today as the day it was built, nearly thirty years ago.
More colorful than the buildings that housed the post office were the men and women who worked there. Looking back over the roster of postmasters, you could follow the administration in Washington, if you knew the politics of these individuals. For example during the split terms of Grover Cleveland back in the 1890's, Charles H. Roberts, a Republican, served a term between the two reigns of Cleveland. In this interval we find Barney Quinn, Roberts, Francis W. Quinn and again Roberts, who incidentally served this time from 1898 to 1915, when C.L. Countryman, a Democrat, was appointed during the Wilson administration.
In later years, when Civil Service was supposed to remove postmasters from politics, the removal of postmasters was not so drastic, and you often find men of another party serving the community.
These postmasters did much more than their regular duties as head of the postal service in the town. They were the advisors and confidants of many of the citizens who trusted the government servants.
These people brought their problems to the post office and they were for the most part taken care of courteously and efficiently. Their trust was not misplaced and many warm friendships were formed in this manner.
There was a friendly greeting for the customers not found in too many other offices. In fact I know of some offices near us that discourage this exchange of talk and banter. Not so at Bingham, where the post office was as friendly as the corner store.
Bingham Canyon post office had some firsts in the state also. In 1900 it became the first free delivery on a rural route other than in a farming community. In 1916 the rural route was replaced by city delivery.
Another item I am proud of, is the fact that the employees in the Letter Carriers became members of the National Association of letter carriers, in 1917, and have maintained that charter to the present time. Our union has had some stormy sailing with the politicians in Washington and in particular some of the Postmaster Generals, but a new day had dawned and for the first time, our union has been recognized as the bargaining agent for many of the crafts in the postal service and we have the right to be heard without any reprisals.
In 1909 Bingham was the third post office in the state in volume of business and for many years was next to Salt Lake City in the Postal Savings department.
After the bank failure in 1918, the Postal Savings soared to new heights and was the main banking facility for a good portion of the citizens.
Some of the employees with long service in the post office were R.I. Farrelk, Irv Stillman, and D.F. Johanson, who served as letter carriers and the latter two serving as assistant postmasters. In the veteran clerk's there was Althea Christensen, who served nearly thirty years and Ivy Hull, with nearly twenty-five years, and the last assistant postmaster. And, I just realized that come April, 1963 I shall have twenty years service myself.
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