U.S. Post Office's

Attention

The object that is described in this article is located on private property. Trespassing is punishable by up to six months of prison time. Permission should be granted before passing on private property.

The First Post Offices (1864 - 1960)

The U.S. Postal Service was established on June 15, 1864 with Marriner W. Merrill as Postmaster General. A small building was erected on 100 E and Main. This building served for a few years before business was moved to a small building that is now attached to the west end of the ZCMI Co-Op building.1 This post office served for many years until it became too old and unusable.

The following is recording about the history of the post office in Lewiston, Utah"

"Bishop William H. Lewis, for whom the town was named, was commissioned Postmaster on April 29, 1878.

"...At this time, because the population had grown, a regular mail carrier was appointed by the Federal Government. This appointment was given to Nariah Lewis, father of William H. Lewis, who carried the mail from Richmond to Lewison in a letter bag tied to the back of the saddle of a little pony. The mail consisted only of letter, as second class and parcel post mail were not in existence at that time.

"Mr. Lewis delivered incoming mail and picked up outgoing main daily ar the Co-op Store."2

In 1937, operations were moved to the west wing of the Community Building across the street and served until 1960.

Todays Post Office (1960 - Present)

The current post office was constructed in 1960. It is the longest-running post office in Richmond's history.

Address: 3 South State St., Richmond, UT 8433 • Hours: Mon-Fri 8 A.M. - 12:30 P.M. 1:30 P.M. - 4:30 P.M., Sat 8 A.M. - 12:30 P.M., Sun Closed

Phone: (800) 275-8777 • Website: tools.usps.com/locations/details/1379259

Zip Code 84333-Four+

The ZIP Code (Zone Improvement Plan) was created by the United States Postal Service in 1963. The random string of numbers has a meaning.

8 - The section of the United States. 8 is the Mountain area that consists of Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico.

84 - The second digit with the first indicates which state the Zip Code belongs to. For example, Idaho is 83.

843 - The third digit, with the first two, indicates the USPS office that distributes the mail to the incorporated towns' post offices. USPS Office 843 is in Logan, Utah.

33 - When the Zip Codes were created in 1963, incorporated cities and post offices were organized in alphabetical order. Richmond was the thirty-third city of the 843 Office in the alphabet.

Four+ - The last four digits of the Zip Code were implemented in 1983. The last four digits are not necessary to use when sending mail. However, those who do use them are guaranteed to have priority mail and have quicker delivery times. The added four digits represent a small geographic part, such as a city block or office building, within the five-digit delivery area.

PO Boxes
- 0001-0162 PO boxes 1-162.3.1
- 0163-0292 PO boxes 163-292.3.2
- 0293-420 PO boxes 293-420.3.3
- 0421-480+ PO boxes 421-480+.3.4
1201-9998 Geographic parts of Richmond, including rural addresses. Contact the Richmond Post Office for your 4-digit number.3.5
9999 is General Delivery.3.5

Original Post Office

(Colorized) USU Digital History Collections

Remains of the Original Post Office are now part of the ZCMI Co-Op building.

Lerretta Elsa Merrill, Postmistress, inside the original Post Office.

(Colorized) Source

S. Milton Webb, on the west wing of the Community Building.

(Colorized) Source

"1976 - This is a view of the United States Post Office in Richmond which was erected in 1960. The Frist Security Bank and Theda's Beauty Salon may be seen in the background."

(Colorized) History of Richmond, Utah, Amos W. Bair, pg 26, photo captured by Thomas Stoddard.