The following article explores the fascinating history of the Kaibab Forest Post Office, up to and including the devastating North Rim fire of 2025 and the post office's fate. The article was submitted by APS Affiliate Arizona & New Mexico Postal History Society as an Article of Distinction for 2025 and originally appeared in the November 2025 edition of The Roadrunner.
To learn more about Arizona & New Mexico Postal History Society, click here.
To read other Articles of Distinction, click here.
The Kaibab Forest Post Office at the Grand Canyon's North Rim
by Marjory J. Sente
Due to its isolated location, tourism on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim did not develop as early nor as grandly as it did on the South Rim. For instance, as early as 1901, visitors could take a train directly to the South Rim, yet the North Rim has never benefited from a direct conveyance. The following year (1902), visitors could mail a letter or post card at the Grand Canyon Post Office. However, service to the North Rim had to wait until June 1, 1928, when the Kaibab Forest Post Office opened in the Union Pacific’s Lodge Center. Prior to the 1928 opening of the Lodge Center, William W. Wylie and his daughter Elizabeth Wylie McKee operated the Wylie Way Camp from 1917 to 1927, the North Rim’s first concession and main accomodations at Bright Angel Point. No mail service was provided for their guests. Now let’s look at the history of the Kaibab Forest Post Office and mail service on the North Rim.
The New Kaibab Post
Harry E. Brown was appointed postmaster of the new Kaibab Post Office on January 5, 1928, but as a summer post office, it was not scheduled to open until June 1. In the meantime, effective February 16, 1928, the post office’s name was changed from Kaibab to Kaibab Forest. Although the Kaibab Post Office was never in operation, four postmarks are known between November 1927 and June 1928.
Posted at the Grand Canyon Post Office on the South Rim, the Figure 1 cover received a May 13, 1928, postmark hand cancellation. A backstamp was struck on May 16 and it was forwarded to the Kaibab Forest Post Office where it received the May 17, 1928, manuscript docket and Kaibab Type 1, 4-bar postmark.
The cover also carries an unusual notation regarding the 1,057 mile, five-day-long journey it took between the two post offices.
FIGURE 1. The Kaibab postmark is listed in Robert Bechtel’s Arizona Statehood Postmark Catalog (ASPC) as Type (T) 1.
Kaibab Forest Post Office
Unlike the South Rim of the Grand Canyon that is open year-round, the facilities on the North Rim and the Kaibab Forest Post Office (KFPO) are only open during the summer, usually from about June 1 until October 1. The North Rim, at an elevation of more than 8,000 feet, is subject to hard winters, with snow coming in early fall and lasting nearly to summer. If one approaches the North Rim from the southern side of the Grand Canyon, reaching it requires driving around the 277-mile-long hole or taking a strenuous hike across the canyon from the South Rim.
To accommodate the growing interest in visiting the North Rim, the Utah Parks Company, a subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad, completed the Lodge Center in 1928 at the cost of more than $500,000 (about $9.2 million in 2025 dollars). A massive stone and wood facility, the lodge provided a dining room and other accommodations for visitors staying in the 100 private sleeping cabins spread throughout the area (see Figure 2).
Getting Across: Over 1,000 Miles By Land, 11 Miles On The Wing
On a clear day looking north from Mather Point on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, it is possible to see with binoculars the Kaibab Lodge on the North Rim in the far distance. While it is a mere eleven or so miles as the crow flies, anyone today wanting to drive from Mather Point to Kaibab Lodge needs to travel more than 20 times that distance – 250 miles.
If that seems far fetched, consider the situation in February 1928, when the Kaibab Forest Post Office was established within the Lodge Center, and the shortest combination of postal routes, all by land, was even greater – over 1,000 miles. In those days, mail between the Grand Canyon and Kaibab Forest Post Offices traveled much the same distance, for example, as mail travelling between Phoenix and Dallas, Texas, yet only 11 air miles separated the two post offices.
Clues as to where this canyon-to-canyon mail travelled on its long circuitous route around the Grand Canyon are given on the cover shown in Figure 1 (of the main article), prepared by the noted postmark collector, Ben Cash. News of the extraordinarily long postal route was mentioned in the pictured article from the Washington County News, of Saint George, Utah on Thursday, February 23, 1928, so the unusual nature of the route was known locally and regionally.
Various accounts mention the route going through four states and as being either 1,025 or 1,057 miles, yet the route itself is never identified. In an effort to discover the route, several different scenarios were derived and considered. Eventually, one came up close to the mark.
An official US Post Route map of 1925 for Arizona (1927, 1929, 1931 maps are not known to exist) shows an existing mail route between Fredonia, Arizona and Moapa, Nevada. Fredonia was the nearest settlement and Post Office to Kaibab Forest. Moapa, a station on the same Union Pacific Railroad as Lund, Utah (shown in Figure 4 of the main article) could provide mail service to the Grand Canyon via Barstow, California, yet at a shorter distance than Lund – too short; the route via Moapa and Barstow to the Grand Canyon is only 950 miles. Not quite enough, but it points the way.
From Barstow, trains of both the Union Pacific and Santa Fe Railroads shared westbound tracks towards Bakersfield. If the Kaibab Forest mail was transferred ("interchanged" in railroad speak) from the Union Pacific train to the Santa Fe train further west – at Bakersfield, California, the postal route distance between the Kaibab Forest and Grand Canyon Post Offices is 1,052 miles. This must surely be how the mail crossed the canyon in 1928. From the Kaibab Forest Post Office, within the visual range of the Grand Canyon Post Office, the mail travelled via Fredonia, Arizona, St. George, Utah, Moapa and Las Vegas, Nevada, Barstow and Bakerfield, California, Kingman and Williams, Arizona.
The 1937 and 1947 Arizona Postal Route maps show mail routes connecting Kaibab Forest (North Rim) and Flagstaff, Arizona, much as today. The 1,000+ mile cross-canyon postal route was probably terminated by the mid-1930s. This extraordinary route distance, while noteworthy in scale, was proper and in accordance with the Post Office’s general scheme which directed mail routing primarily for speed irrespective of distance.
A postcard, seen in Figure 3, was mailed on August 15, 1928, and described a snowy scene the previous day as the writer came through the Kaibab Forest. Another postcard (not shown here) mailed on June 19 the following year stated, “Yes, it’s a grand canyon. Am writing in the beautiful lounge, nice fire in the fire place and can hear the program. The deer came up to our cabin. We expect to get up at 4 o’clock to-morrow for the sunrise effect."
FIGURE 2. This picture postcard of the original Lodge was mailed on September 9, 1928.
FIGURE 3. Picture postcard with August 15, 1928 postmark, ASPC-T1.
1932 Lodge & Post Office Destroyed
With attendance down more than 35,000 from the prior year, visitors in 1932 to the Grand Canyon numbered 121,167. However, only 14,953 or 12.3 percent checked out its North Rim. All but 821 visitors arrived in 4,648 private automobiles. One of the 821 was Miss Gertrude Halpin of New London, Connecticut, who used a combination of rail and auto-taxi (small bus) to reach the North Rim.
Halpin left Boston in late May and visited Chicago, then traveled to Denver and Colorado Springs where she climbed Pike’s Peak. At her next stop, Salt Lake City, she took the Union Pacific Railroad south 275 miles to Lund and on to Cedar City, Utah. At Cedar City she picked up a five-day auto-taxi tour that included Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Cedar Breaks, the Kaibab Forest and Grand Canyon National Park. Traveling a circular route stopping at these hard-to-reach natural wonders, the tour included a two-day stop at the North Rim’s Grand Canyon Lodge. The map on the card she mailed, seen in Figure 4, details her route.
FIGURE 4. Union Pacific System picture postcard shows location of the parks visited in its bus tours.
Shown in Figure 5, a postcard mailed at the KFPO on August 5, 1932, has a fairly typical message, “We are at the Lodge. Have had a fine trip so far. Biggest hole in the ground I ever saw.” It was mailed from the post office less than a month before disaster struck. In the early morning hours of September 1, 1932, fire started in the Lodge Center’s kitchen. It destroyed all the lodge's inside and outside woodwork, leaving only blackened and smoke-stained stone walls. The fire consumed two deluxe cabins located near the Lodge, as well. No employees or tourists were hurt, but 25 female employees living in a dormitory on the second floor of the Center made a hasty escape in their night clothes and lost all their personal belongings. Figure 6 shows the devastation from the fire.
All available staff and volunteers, including tourists, bus drivers, and workers from nearby construction camps fought the fire for more than two and a half hours. They finally brought the fire under control when all the structure’s wood was burnt.
The fire could be seen from the South Rim. Thinking it was a wildfire, Grand Canyon National Park Service Superintendent M.R. Tillotson flew by airplane over the Canyon from the South Rim to discover the Lodge and two deluxe cabins were gone.
The September 2, 1932, Arizona Republic reported that the KFPO was destroyed in the Grand Canyon Lodge fire. The article noted that it was unknown whether any mail or registered mail was lost in fire or the extent of the damage to the post office. One thing that is known to have been destroyed was the Kaibab Forest Type 2, 4-bar, C/2 hand canceller.
Although the Lodge and its dining room were destroyed, the Utah Parks Company maintained its tourist business for the balance of the season. It still had use of all but two sleeping cabins and used a cafeteria to feed visitors.
FIGURE 5. Picture post card with August 5, 1932 postmark ASPC-T2.
FIGURE 6. Photograph of remains of The Lodge taken after the September 1, 1932 fire. Courtesy National Park Service.
Kaibab Forest Postmaster, William P. Rogers, had to be ready for business, too. He carved a new cancelling device for use until October 1, when the North Rim’s season ended and the Post Office closed. Only two pieces of mail, however, are known to survive with the hand-carved Kaibab Forest postmark. Seen on the front page of this issue, a post card has the earliest known usage of September 7, 1932. The only known cover, seen in Figure 7, with a Union Pacific corner card featuring the hand cancel is dated September 19, 1932.
FIGURE 7. The only known cover with the ASPC-T3 postmark had a Union Pacific corner card. Inset is part of the back flap printed with "Grand Canyon Lodge, Kaibab Forest P.O., Arizona." Assuming the Lodge’s stationery was destroyed in the fire, someone would have had the envelope in their possession prior to the fire.
Kaibab Forest Post Office 1933-1947
When the KFPO reopened on June 1, 1933, it was still housed in temporary quarters, but Postmaster Rogers had a new hand canceller to use. The USPOD issued a 4-bar, C/2 cancelling device which was similar to the destroyed Kaibab Forest Type 2 canceller.
On July 24, 1934, the 2-cent Grand Canyon commemorative was issued at the Grand Canyon Post Office. A week later two of the new commemoratives were used to frank a cover, which was then postmarked at the KFPO, as shown in Figure 8. In 1936-1937, the Lodge was rebuilt reusing much of the original stone. The lodge's design was scaled back to a single story without an observation tower, and modified to strengthen the building. For example, the pitch of the roof was steeper to accommodate the area’s heavy snowfall. The post office was once again located in the Lodge (Figure 9).
FIGURE 8. Cover franked with the 2-cent Grand Canyon commemorative was postmarked with ASPC-T4.
FIGURE 9. Photo of the rebuilt lodge taken from a souvenir folder of the Grand Canyon Kaibab Forest.
While most Kaibab Forest postmarks are on postcards, other items include this souvenir folder and mailbag (Figures 10 and 11).
FIGURE 10. Souvenir folder mailed in 1939 from the Kaibab Forest P.O. ASPC –T4.
FIGURE 11. Mailed at the Kaibab Forest P.O. in 1928, this souvenir mail bag incorrectly states the Grand Canyon’s North Rim is located in Utah.
During the latter part of World War II – 1943 to 1945 – the KFPO was closed. The war slowed visitor traffic to all the national parks and the supply of workers to run the facilities was limited. The Kaibab Forest Post Office reopened on June 1, 1946 for its last full season.
The name of the KFPO changed to North Rim on June 1, 1947. Kaibab Forest last day postmarks dated May 31, 1947 are known. Figure 12 shows a portion of an unaddressed last day cover. Figure 13 illustrates a June 2, 1947 North Rim first day postmark; June 1 was a Sunday, and the post office was closed. Figure 14 shows the author visiting the North Rim Post Office.
FIGURE 12. Last day Kaibab Forest postmark.
FIGURE 13. The North Rim first day postmark is listed as ASPC North Rim Type 1.
FIGURE 14. Photo of the author mailing postcards at the North Rim Post office.
For a span of twenty years Kaibab Forest postmarks canceled mail put in the post at the Grand Canyon’s North Rim. The post office at the Lodge is now called North Rim, and up until very recently, it offered postal services for the convenience of staff and visitors. The sidebar below explains the recent developments causing the suspension of services from the North Rim Post Office.
Fire Destroys the Grand Canyon Lodge and Post Office Again
In July 2025 two wildfires caused havoc for visitors and staff at the Grand Canyon National Park’s North Rim and the Kaibab Plateau. The Dragon Bravo Fire started by lightning on July 4 on the North Rim was treated with a “confine and contain” strategy rather than suppression mode. In the interim, on July 9, lightning struck again and initiated the White Sage Fire located about thirteen miles southeast of Fredonia. It was burning north of the Rim on BLM Lands and the Kaibab National Forest.
On July 10, the Park Service evacuated approximately 500 visitors from the North Rim due to the threat of losing access to Highway 67 by the White Sage Fire. The next day more than 400 park, concession, and Grand Canyon Conservancy staff were evacuated due to the rapidly growing Dragon Bravo Fire.
The night of July 12 the Dragon Bravo Fire exploded, destroying approximately 70 structures, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge that housed the North Rim Post Office, the North Rim Visitor Center, and many guest cabins. Canyon Trail Rides’ 54 mules were evacuated the next day.
On July 15, I wrote and mailed the following letter to the North Rim postmaster.
Dear North Rim Postmaster,
I’m devastated by the news of the ravaging fire on the North Rim and the loss of so many buildings including the post office.
As a postal historian with a special collecting interest in the Grand Canyon, I am hoping you can answer a few questions for me.
The news reported all tourists were evacuated Thursday, July 10 and staff a day later, Friday, July 11. The lodge was consumed by fire Saturday night July 12. Was the North Rim Post Office's last day of operation Thursday, July 10 or Friday July 11? Where have the postal operations been transferred to? Was the North Rim hand canceling device saved? If so, may I obtain an example of the cancel? Do you have any additional information regarding the handling of the North Rim mail for the remainder of the summer?
A SASE is enclosed for your convenience. I can also be reached at marjsente@earthlink.net
\
My SASE was returned from Fredonia on August 1 with no contents.
I also mailed a cover to myself care of the Grand Canyon Lodge, North Rim, Arizona. It was returned on Jul 17 from Fredonia with a NIXIE label stating “return to sender, unclaimed, unable to forward”.
From these two pieces of mail, I have concluded the Fredonia Post Office is handling the mail that would normally be processed by the North Rim Post Office, now destroyed.
On August 28, I called the Fredonia Post Office and spoke with Postmaster Jennifer Ohman. She stated, “We quit going to the North Rim the day the fire blew up from 200 acres.” This was likely July 10. The North Rim Post Office already was a Community Post Office of the Fredonia Post Office before the fire closed its operations. This arrangement suggests Fredonia will continue managing North Rim's mail services, even as it had done when North Rim was open only four months per year. In the second half of the 20th Century the North Rim was at one point a designated Rural Station of the Fredonia Post Office, and at other times, postmarked its mail as a Community Post Office.
When I began asking additional questions, Ohman indicated that she has my letter and has been in touch with USPS Media, because she can’t just give out information on post office operations.
The Park Service has closed all public access to the North Rim for the remainder of the 2025 season. On August 25, the Park Service stated, “The park is currently focused on emergency stabilization to protect remaining infrastructure and natural resources. Planning is underway for the recovery and rebuilding of visitor facilities, including the Grand Canyon Lodge, although this process will take time. At this time, it is too early to say whether the North Rim will reopen for day use in 2026. The Dragon Bravo Fire caused significant impacts to infrastructure, trails, utilities, and natural resources on the North Rim. In addition, Highway 67, the sole access road, remains closed for the foreseeable future due to post-fire hazards.”
The Dragon Bravo Fire burned 145,504 acres and was 80 percent contained as of September 1. The White Stage Fire burned 58,985 acres and was 98 percent contained.
Many thanks to Joe Cody for his help in investigating the 1,025 mile route from the Grand Canyon to Bakersfield and back. Comments and questions are most welcome at marjsente@earthlink.net.
Non-Standard References
“Back Home from Western Trip”. The Day (New London, Connecticut). Sep 13, 1932. p. 5. Dragon Bravo Fire - Grand Canyon National Park - July 2025. NPS Flickr photo collection.
Goss, Robert V. 2021. Wylie Way Camps - Zion NP & North Rim, Grand Canyon. Geyser Bob’s website: https://www.geyserbob. com/wylie-camps-at-zion-grand-canyon (accessed March 5, 2025).
Gruber, Ted. 2024. Postal History of Cowlitz County, Washington. Kelso, WA: Self-Published.
“Status of the North Rim.” National Park Service website. https://www.nps.gov/grca/northrimstatus.htm (accessed August 30, 2025) “Timeline of the Dragon Bravo Fire.” YouTube. FOX 10 Phoenix
U.S. National Park Service. 1932. Report of the Director for the National Park Service 1932. Washington: US Government Printing Office. p. 86.